Team JAQK Act 1: The Journey to the East
by TheTragicNoir
Summary: In a shattered world like Remnant, there are always people with their own problems. As for this group of misfits, it was bigger after one incident after another. Split to find answers, together to solve problems. Team JAQK is going to work hard in order to clean their leader's name and find the real culprit behind the incidents. (Canon related, set between V4-V5)
1. Into the Red Forest

**Disclaimer: RWBY Characters, places and terminologies with the exception of the Original Characters, belongs to Rooster Teeth Productions.**

* * *

Three months passed since Beacon Academy was destroyed by hordes of Grimm by unknown causes. Some students survived the attack and succeed to escape from a tragic end while the rest fell victims from one of the most tragic events ever occurred in Remnant's history. Some teams were disbanded while others kept sticking together to help people. Without a clue of the former Beacon's headmaster, Professor Ozpin, the surviving students ended up doing huntsmen jobs like exterminating Grimm or helping defenseless settlements and villages.

Team CFVY was working together on the kingdom of Vale despite their odds. They were protecting a small town named Tint Hills which was inside of the Forever Fall region. Samsara, one of the most populated settlements was on the center of that region and the only place where is connected to other larger settlements through the use of the train owned by the Schnee Dust Company.

After two days of resupplying at Samsara, team CFVY was using the famous railway line to travel back to Tint Hills in the shortest amount of time while discussing the mysterious attacks occurred there for 2 weeks. Velvet Scarlatina, the bunny Faunus of the team, was sitting next to the window while admiring the bright colors of what Forever Fall is known for. Coco Andel, the fearless leader, was sitting right next to her while the other two male members: Fox Alistar and Yatsuhashi Daichi were sitting on the opposite side while guarding their supplies. Those two were always the Coco's mules to carry anything she buys, whether if it was her shopping bags or important equipment what they were in charge of.

 _"How long is gonna take us to the station? I skipped breakfast this morning."_ Fox communicated telepathically to his team. He lacked the energy to even talk.

"30 minutes left until we meet our destination," Yatsuhashi replied to his starving comrade.

 _"Mhh, I can't take any longer. Does this train offer snacks or something?"_

"No, but I have a bag of chips with me. Want some?" The big guy pulled out his potato chips bag to share with his teammate.

"I guess that would do." Without complaining, Fox took some chips from the bag, but it wasn't nearly enough to satisfy his hunger. "Ugh, I will need more than that."

"You can take the whole bag; I have more in my backpack." Yatsuhashi gave the potato chips to Fox. He didn't mind to give a whole pack to a friend in need.

"Now that you are done talking about snacks, we still need to discuss those mysterious attacks from that place." Coco was the first one to speak about their job.

"I have to agree, it is quite intriguing that there are no signs of Grimm assaulting the area." The tallest member commented on his thoughts on the matter.

"What makes you think the attacks weren't caused by Grimm?" The Faunus girl asked about her teammate's theory.

"No Grimm would be that smart enough to attack without causing any major damage and leaving without people noticing them. Those things are nothing but beasts." Fox remarked about those creature's intelligence.

"Yatsuhashi and Fox are right, it is impossible for those monsters to be the cause of the attacks. I can assume that either bandits or the White Fang would be responsible for all that mess." The leader was thinking about other possible causes.

"I doubt it was the White Fang because the reports about them inside the area were faint, also because there are Faunus people living in that town as well." The rust-colored member was handed a notebook about the Intel he got.

"These kinds of tactics are different than the usual ones they pull off. I don't see the purpose of attacking a humble town without any political influence to hold on with, that doesn't make sense." Velvet was lost in thought for a moment.

"My money is on the bandits. Those guys love to cause trouble wherever they go." Fox spoke with confidence.

"With higher Grimm activities on the last couple of months, bandits refused to leave their nests in order to protect themselves. They only sent hunting groups for food or ammunition." Yatsuhashi commented while reading Fox's notebook about the info.

"So we are still going in circles, huh?" Velvet and everyone else on the team fell silent without any more clues or ideas about the real reason for the attacks. That wasn't an easy task despite they promised to Tint Hills inhabitants about solving this mystery.

"Mhhh I guess there's no reason to think about this for the moment. We will keep investigating once we arrived there." Coco looked out of the window to see how close they were to reach their destination. "We are almost there, everyone!"

"I hope none of you forgot to recharge your Scrolls because of the trip from the station to Tint Hills in an hour longer." Yatsuhashi did a reminder to the other members about always checking their devices for emergencies.

"I didn't forget mine, this time at least." Velvet sounded a little embarrassed.

"Oh come on! That was just once I forget to recharge it." Fox looked annoyed at that statement.

"And that one time we thought you died when we tried to communicate with you," Coco commented in her usual deadpan tone.

"It wasn't my fault I was stuck in a cave when an Ursa pack chased us during our first mission!" Fox tried to defend his point.

"Sure, it wasn't," Coco replied with the same tone.

Everyone carried their belongings while leaving the train. The road from the station to Tint Hills was about an hour or so of walking. Lucky for them, they bought a wagon to transport their supplies without much difficulty. The downside is using the male members to pull the wagon while the females walk or sometimes sit on there. They brought food, ammunition, Dust, equipment and replacement part for their weapons, and Coco's new clothes.

"Is necessary all those clothes, Coco?" Fox asked his leader while raising an eyebrow.

"Of course it is. If we don't know how long we are going to stay until we discover the cause of those attacks, minus well bring more clothes with me."

"I don't think you need THAT many."

"Keep saying that or you will be the only one carrying everything until we are at Tint Hills." Coco lowered her shades while staring at Fox with a menacing look. Fox didn't say a single word after that.

* * *

After walking around for 20 minutes, Velvet felt in the down mood for some unknown reason. She was lost on the thought while the wagon from behind. That sudden change of mood on her made her teammates worried because they never saw her friend in low spirits since they studied at Beacon Academy. As a leader that cares for everyone, Coco decided to walk aside her Faunus friend and see what's on her mind.

"It's something wrong, Velvy?" The leader asked with a serious expression.

"Oh, it's nothing." Her response was a little low in volume.

"Don't give me that type of response; something is bothering you, isn't it?"

"It's nothing really. You are worried too much." Despite her modest tone, she wasn't in the best mood.

"Oh no Missy, something is clearly wrong with you. Tell me what is, you know you can depend on me."

"That is the problem; I depend too much on you. I feel useless because I can't do many fights like you or anybody else." Velvet's tone rose in the more upset mood, but she wasn't mad.

"I know your Semblance is kinda limited, but you are really important for us, fighting or not."

"But I don't like it; I want to fight more alongside you guys. I can only unleash my full potential for a couple of minutes as long I have enough pictures to copy your fighting skills." Velvet felt more desperate the more she expressed her concerns. "What would happen if none of you can fight anymore or I ended up by myself? I need to show more of my own power for real and not just copying the style from someone else."

"Velvet…I know it must be tough not being able to be flashy like us, but you already know that is why we are always here for you. You are like our little sister that needs to be looking out for." Coco's upbeat tone made some sort of effect on Velvet's mood. "Tell you what; we can start teaching you more impressive moves until we arrive at Tint Hills. Sounds good for you?"

"Yes, thank you for listening to me complaining, partner." Velvet did a small smile, at least bigger than earlier.

 _"I don't want to ruin the mood but you better check this out."_ Fox communicated telepathically with the female members to see something odd in front of them. Aside from the road was another wagon with broken boxes, everything looked destroyed with no one else around. Team CFVY drew their weapons as something on the road became dense.

"Keep your positions, everyone. Looks like the Grimm woke up earlier." Yatsuhashi was standing while holding his giant sword on guard.

 _"No kidding. Are those guys even needed sleep or something? Let's finish them right now. The sooner we are done, the earlier I can get something to eat."_ Fox took out his gauntlets with blades on each arm.

"I will treat you with something later, but for now…" As Coco kept talking while her purse transformed into a Gatling gun. "It's time for some morning exercises." She aimed with her weapon around the area while everyone stayed close to their wagon. They formed a circle while Velvet pulled out her 'weapon' while she stayed on the wagon.

There were Beowolves, Boarbatuskes, and Ursai packs surrounding them. They decided to draw them away from the road into the bright woods. Yastsuhashi started to charge towards some Ursa while doing big swings with his sword, cutting a lot of them in two with a single strike. Fox was agile about dodging and doing multiple slashes to some Boarbatuskes that were trying to do a spin attack. Coco shot larger bursts while Velvet was behind her leader, taking pictures from her teammates.

 _"There are a lot of them! This can be troublesome if more Grimm appear."_ The rust-looking huntsman yelled to the others while still fighting those creatures. "We need a plan and now!"

"Anything in mind, Coco?" Yatsuhashi was asking his leader while blocking attacks with his sword.

"I have one but I need Fox to go into the trees. Velvet, did you take enough pictures of Fox's fighting style?" Coco asked her Faunus partner while she stomped Beowulf's head, killing it instantly.

"Yeah, I have plenty why?" Velvet was curious about what Coco was planning to do.

"Fox!" The leader called the agilest member while he was dodging attacks. "You and Velvet go to the trees and cut some branches! Yatsu! Get to the center and hit the ground on my mark!"

 _"Got it!"_

"Understood!"

Everyone took their respective positions as Coco was still pushing the monsters towards the woods. Fox and Velvet started to jump and hope on different trees while attracting the Grimm's attention. Yatsuhashi tried to lure some away of the wagon from the ground. Just like Coco's plan, they needed to keep defending and take some Grimm away from the road and take down most of them as much as possible.

Once farther, they started to carry out the plan, the members on the trees on the trees began to cut some branches. Velvet used a projection of Fox's weapons and she started to do the same thing. Coco was shooting some trees while unleashing red sap out of them. As for Yatsuhashi, he kept defending and slashing some Grimm by himself, but he was reaching the limit of his Aura.

"Get ready, everyone…!" Coco raised he left hand while everyone was looking for their leader. "NOW!" As soon she calls it, the tallest teammate stroke his sword against the ground, creating a shock-wave that made all loose branches and leaves to fall towards the Grimm. Fox and Velvet run on circles at high speed creating a small tornado that made some leaves and red sap getting mixed and sticky to the monsters, making them unable to see or react.

The Grimm got completely covered with both red sap and leaves, Yatsuhashi delivered the final blow by sending most of them flying away to the closest cliff. Team CFVY was victorious once more.

"Phew, that was better than expected…" Fox commented while wiping off some of that red sap out of his tonfas.

"Yeah, good thing that cliff was close to us. One more step and maybe we could end up in trouble." Yatsuhashi was looking at the cliff, the height was big and there was a river down on the bottom of them.

"Well, looks like we are done. We should go back to our wagon and…"

"Wait for a second, Coco. Did you hear that?" Velvet stopped her teammate while she started to hear with her bunny ears. Something wasn't quite right for them.

 _"Oh come on! We forgot one?"_ Fox complained in his mind while he got on his stance.

"Yeah but I don't know from where…" Velvet was still trying to look around in front of them, but there was nothing else visible.

"I can hear it as well…where it could be…?" Yatsahashi was getting on guard with his sword on the front. The noises got bigger by each second but no one could see where the remaining Grimm was.

"Everyone, keep the eyes open. It's most likely a Borbatusk." Coco was still aiming with her Gatling gun to all direction.

"How you can be so sure?" Velvet asked her leader.

"I can recognize the sound of one when it's charging an attack. Better keep moving." Coco started to walk slowly while focusing on their surroundings.

The pressure of not knowing the enemy position was enough to make them anxious about. They were apart from each other so it was easy for the last Grimm to make a surprise attack on anyone on the team. The tension was rising to the point they were getting paranoiac. The charger got louder and louder, so many bushes were shaking.

"I thought the only one remained!" Velvet was taking cover right behind Yatsuhashi.

"It looks like he brought some friends to the party." Coco said it is really snarky tone, but without stopping looking at the woods.

The noises stopped briefly, team CFVY stopped breathing so they can hear where they are. They finally came out of the bushes and there were 4 fully charged Boartuskes.

"There you are!" Fox jumped over one while doing multiple cuts go on the air.

"Guard!" Yatsuhashi repelled two of them, cutting them in half with a counter attack.

"Too slow piggy…" Coco just stepped aside like nothing, making the last one falling to the cliff. All remaining Grimm was finally defeated.

"That was too easy if you ask me." Fox sounded pretty confident from the last encounter.

"Yeah it was, at least was a good exercise." Yatsuhashi said it is rather a playful tone.

"Can you hear more, Velvy?" Coco asked her partner, she got nothing unusual.

"No, I think that's all of them." Velvet was trying to sense more in the area, absolutely nothing else around.

They kept walking to get back to their wagon; Fox and Yatsuhashi were going ahead while Coco and Velvet were following them from behind. They were getting pretty separated from each other until Velvet stopped for a moment.

 _'Oh no…_ ' She was thinking, after hearing that noise again, one last Boarbatusk came out of the bushes; the trajectory was heading straight to Coco at full speed. Everyone got surprised and unable to react quickly. "Look out!" Velvet leaped towards her partner, pushing her aside and taking the impact instead.

"VELVEEEET!" Everyone yelled with horrified expressions, seeing the most valuable member got the worst of the Borbatusk's last stand.

Both the Grimm and Velvet went flying out of the cliff, landing on the strong stream of the river. It was impossible for the team to pinpoint where the member landed, whether she survived or not. She was completely lost out of everyone sight. Both sad and angered, Coco wanted to jump into the river, but she was stopped by her teammates.

"What are you doing!? Let me go!" She tried to shake them off, still with the desire to jump and save her partner.

"No! You can't do something so reckless like that!" Fox was trying to reason with her leader, she was almost out of control.

"She saved my life! I can't leave it like that!"

"No, this is not like you, Coco!" Yatsuhashi was holding his leader by the arms. "You can't risk your own life like that!"

"Don't you care about her!?" She was looking at both with a really menacing expression, her shades were falling.

"We DO care about Velvet, but we need to think this rationally." Fox's words made some sort of effect on Coco's attitude. "You are better than this, and you really know about it."

"Look, she didn't land on the ground like those Grimm down there. She is mostly safe in water or something." Yatsuhashi was trying to make some assuring words. "We should go back to Tint Hills first and then start looking for her, got it?"

"Mhhhhh…" Coco was out of words, for the first time that her teammates refused to follow orders from her. The tallest member released her so she could take deep breaths and clear her mind. After a couple of seconds, she recovered her usual cool and collected attitude. "Alright then, we should go back and think our next course of action. I don't want to accept that she just decided to risk herself to save me." She sighed. "I swear that we will find her, even to the end of the days." After hearing their confident leader, the guys nodded firmly in agreement and kept walking back to the wagon. Coco was still close to the cliff, looking at the surroundings of Forever Fall, worried about her partner. "I hope you are alright, Velvet. I will do everything to find you." She turned around and went back with the others, walking straight and determined.

* * *

It was already night, the cricket noises were engulfing the woods. Velvet started to regain consciousness, as she noticed that got a blanket all over her. There was a campfire close to her, and the young Faunus looked confused about how she came there in the first place. The more she looked around, there was a man sitting looking away from the fire, busy with something else.

Velvet began to move slowly in order to reach her backpack, trying to not make too many noises. It was odd of what that man wanted with her, he must be dangerous or something. She was extending her right hand close to her backpack until something caught her off guard.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you, Miss." The man spoke, his tone was softer, maybe younger. Velvet froze for a moment. He didn't turn his back while kept busy maintaining his weapon. Out of nowhere, he pulled out his pistol and shot close to Velvet's hands, making her jump backward away from the backpack.

"Whoa! Are you trying to kill me!?" Velvet asked the mysterious man.

"Mhh? Take a look, and you will know why." He still didn't turn his head to her.

Velvet got close to her backpack, noticing something odd over her belongings: There was a snake with a wound from the gunshot right through its throat, it was a clean shot.

"H-How!?" She was so amazed at how he was able to land a perfect shot without even looking at what was behind him.

"Nothing special, just these…" He was pointed to the side of his head; Velvet looked closely and saw he was wearing glasses with small mirrors on the sides. "One more sudden movement or you almost got bitten by it."

 _'That explains a lot'_ that was the only thing she got on her mind. She looked completely confused about how she was there in the first place. "What do you want from me?" She asked the stranger.

"Absolutely nothing, we found you unconscious on the river." He spoke without still looking at her.

"We!?" She looked surprised as she noticed that he wasn't completely alone. That is until they started to hear someone coming towards them, it was another man.

He looked pretty slim and tall, his skin was dark but not as much as Fox. He was smiling from ear to ear as he was walking towards the stranger and talked with an excited mood.

"Yo, partner! Look what I got!" He started to show a jar full of plants, the stranger didn't look pleased about it.

"Ace, how many times do I have to tell you?" His tone became even more serious, probably upset about it. "Those plants are poisonous, I asked you to bring the ones with blue leaves, not purple."

"How do I suppose to know that? I'm not good with nature as you, you know?"

"It doesn't matter, that is why I told you a specific color instead of names in the first place." The stranger started to examine the jar in detail, his mood changed pretty fast. "At least we can use it as anti-venom."

"So are we cool, partner?"

"Sure." The stranger's tone sounded dull.

As those men stopped talking, the cheerful one started to look at Velvet, getting pretty close to her. "Ah, so you are finally awake…" He sounded flirty towards her. "Sorry for the first impression, we don't get friendly people around this area that often…mostly ladies." He started to make a charming smile to the Faunus.

"Who are you guys?" Velvet asked them in a really confused manner, at least she was no longer afraid of them.

"Oooooh sorry, where are my manners?" The second man cleared his throat like he was about to do a speech. "My name is Ace Clover or just Ace for you, at your service." He bowed in a formal manner like he was on stage. "This guy behind me is my partner in the business, Kingston Diamo."

"Or just Diamo, either way, is fine by me." The guy started to turn around and finally showing himself, he looked pretty young too. He was wearing a pair of glasses and carrying a sniper-rifle over his laps, doing some maintenance. "Sorry for the scare from earlier, but you should look carefully your surroundings next time." Diamo said it with a pretty cold tone.

"It is fine; I'm really impressed by your aim." Velvet felt more assured of those two strangers, never thought she would find someone as friendly as them on the wild. "And thanks for saving me."

"Nah it's not a problem, Miss... uh… what is your name?" Ace fell in silence as he couldn't address her properly.

"Velvet Scarlatina, nice to meet you." She stood up and presented herself in a more formal manner. "What are you doing camping in the middle of the woods?"

"We are just travelers, nothing else." Ace was the one speaking, as Diamo was in silence while still maintaining his weapon. "What about you? What happened before we found you on the river?"

"Oh… umm, I was traveling with my team, but we got ambushed by Grimm…" Velvet sounded a little embarrassed about what happened today.

"Team…? Oh, are you Huntsmen?" Ace sounded as excited as Velvet could see sparkles in his eyes. "That's so cool!"

"Huh? Aren't you Huntsmen too?"

"Nope… still, what kind of weapon is that what you were carrying with you?" Ace was examining Velvet's weapon while holding it with both hands. "It's that a camera?"

"Yes, that is my weapon…" She couldn't stop looking at Ace how fascinated was with her weapon.

"…But how is it work? I don't see a way to…"

"Ace, that's enough." The guy with glasses interrupted Ace, with his usual stoic tone. "I should apologize to him; he gets so overly excited by a lot of things, even the most mundane ones."

"Oh, are you saying that making new friends is a bad thing, partner?" Ace used his sarcastic tone, but not in a rude way.

"No, but we should not ask too many questions on every girl you meet."

"Oh come on… why you have to be so moody about everything?" As he kept opening his mouth, Ace sat next to Velvet. "So, what are you gonna do now, honey-bunny?"

"Please, don't call me like that…" Velvet blushed as she never felt so welcomed by a stranger due to her race. "…I think I have to return with my team."

"Well, it's too dark to go all by yourself. I suggest you leave in the morning."

"I guess that's a good option, but where am I exactly?" Velvet started to look confused while she looked at the environment around her.

"What was the last place you were?" Ace asked her.

"Well, the most I can recall…we were traveling from a train station of Samsara to Tint Hills…" Velvet was trying to explain, it caught the attention of those two travelers.

"Tint Hills…? Ace, do you have the map with you?" Diamo asked in a nasty tone.

"Huh? Oh sure, take a look." Ace handed over the map; it was made of paper instead of using a Scroll. "Let me see…Samsara is there, right on the corner of Forever Fall. Where exactly is located Tint Hills, Velvet?" The cheerful traveler asked the Faunus.

"Around here…" She pointed out almost out of the border of the map; it was really far from where they were camping at the moment. They were on the opposite side of the area.

"Well…it is pretty far, that's for sure." Ace's expression became serious, as he didn't like the distance between them and any other settlement or city.

"Can you communicate with them, Miss Scarlatina?" Diamo asked Velvet, she just realized that she got her Scroll in her backpack.

As she was checking her backpack, she noticed that her Scroll stopped working, due to the water and rocks that broke the device, she got disappointed.

"Well, that sucks…" Ace commented.

"May any of you could lend me any Scroll of yours?"

"Sorry, but our Scrolls are out of battery. We were traveling for a while." The guy with glasses commented.

"So how I'm supposed to get back with them?" Velvet started to get out of options.

"Mhhh…I know!" Ace stood up while looking excited. "We can escort you back to Samsara and maybe communicate with your team from there."

"What!?" Both Diamo and Velvet sounded shocked at hearing that.

"Huh? Is it that bad?"

"Yes it is Ace, we can't take her there, and we have more important matters." Diamo sounded serious, almost terrified. "Besides, Miss Scarlatina isn't fully agreed about…"

"Actually…" Velvet interrupted to the cold sniper. "I would like some help to get back."

"See!? She needs our help." Ace was gleeful that the Faunus considered the offer.

"Sorry, but I must refuse." Diamo stopped maintaining his gun while crossing his arms in disagreement. "Are you forgetting why we come here? We cannot get sidetracked but trivial matters."

"Oh come on partner! We cannot let a damsel in distress alone in the woods when there is Grimm roaming around."

The sniper didn't pay attention to what Ace said. "I'm so sorry, but we have a business to do. You can sleep here at least only this night. We are going on our separate ways in the morning."

"I…I can understand it…" Velvet was really disappointed about it.

Ace was sitting with the crossing arms, trying to think a better solution as he doesn't like the idea of leaving someone in the wild and risking her own life. He was sure that convincing someone as strictly serious like Diamo could be hard bending some rules. The jovial guy finally got an idea

"Hey, partner…" Ace made a devilish smile. "How good are we on ammo and food?"

"We…are pretty low in actuality." Diamo took his glasses to wipe off the dirt on it, thinking about their limited resources.

"How about this…?" Ace focused his sight at Velvet. "We will help you to reunite with your team if you can give us some supplies. What do you think? It is a win-win deal. Don't you think so too, partner?" He was doing some puppy eyes to the sniper.

"I guess we can't do anything until we get more supplies and continue with our trip. Besides, we are low in lien anyways…." Diamo was lost in thought, calculating their possibilities of survival. It sounded like a risky move to help a bystander without a plan but hoping to at least get something in return. "Well, we can do some business with you, Miss Scarlatina. We are going to take you to Samsara, under the condition that you must be able to defend yourself. Quite simple considering that you are a Huntress."

"That is not a problem for me…" As long as Velvet can copy their skills, she is perfectly capable to fight back.

"Well that settles it, we should go to sleep and prepare for tomorrow." Diamo said as he put his weapon aside while taking his sleeping bag.

"Finally, no more boring days!" Ace was accommodating his sleeping bag while still being close to the campfire. "Don't worry Velvet, we are going to find your teammates, I promise."

"Thank you so much." After Velvet was done thanking them, she took some blanks and started to sleep. The sky was full of stars; she never thought that Forever Fall had such a beautiful night. _'I hope the others are alright.'_ She was thinking while looking at the sky. Velvet couldn't sleep for tomorrow's long journey, as she didn't know what waits for them on the road.

"Oh almost forgot…" Ace said while looking on one of the pockets from his coat, he threw an amulet to Velvet. "Take this, is a dream-catcher."

"Why you are giving me this?" Velvet asked in concern tone.

"I know how it feels to being away from friends; this should help you to sleep better at least."

"Thanks…Good night, Ace." She was able to finally close her eyes, feeling safe to sleep.


	2. Into the Red Forest II

**Disclaimer: RWBY Characters, places and terminologies with the exception of the Original Characters, belongs to Rooster Teeth Productions.**

* * *

5:30 on the morning, both wanderers woke up earlier while leaving Velvet to keep sleeping. _'She looks so cute when she sleeps.'_ That was the first thing Ace got in his mind. As he and Diamo were accommodating everything before taking their respective chores, they couldn't stop thinking about how they were no longer just themselves exploring the region.

"Ace, where did you leave my scopes?" Diamo asked while he was preparing for scouting the area.

"I think is in the bag, the blue one…" Ace replied while his partner searched for his scopes in the appointed bag.

"Are not there…"

"Oh sorry, …it was the green one now that I remember it." Ace slammed himself in the forehead.

"Got it…" Diamo was getting prepare for his normal routine: Got his glasses cleaned, pistol and rifle loaded, and some of his favorite seeds if he gets hungry during recon. Despite being ready as always, he felt something different than other times. "Hey, what do you think are they doing?"

"Not so sure, partner. We got rather slow in the last couple of days." Ace sighed as he looked worried as well. "After what happened, is pretty hard to get enough info about it."

"In any case, I hope it was a good idea to let her accompany us in the meanwhile." As the guy with glasses looked worried, his sight focused on Velvet.

"We will be fine, she said is a huntress. More power for us right?" Ace tried to light the mood, but it wasn't enough to calm his partner.

"I don't want to involve more people in our problems; especially I don't want to deal with 'them' while she is with us." He looked rather serious, and his tone of voice didn't bring a sense of security for Ace.

"Right, 'them'… Whatever is happening, we just need to reunite Velvet with her team and get enough supplies for our mission."

"I hope you are taking this seriously, we cannot afford failure to the others."

"I'm TOTALLY serious. What would they say if they got in the same situation as us?" Ace sounded really serious, even more so than usual. That question made Diamo fell into total silence, unable to make a counter-argument. "…Exactly."

"Just don't get too distracted by her, understood?" Diamo said it firmly to Ace, he nodded back. Done with the talk, he walked into the woods while Ace stayed at the camp.

He couldn't remember the last time he and his friends were doing some camping. He was enjoying it now that Velvet was doing some company, which means a great meal for guests. The frivolous young man took out a pot, some vegetables and his set of knives; those were for combat rather than cooking. _'Let see…potatoes, tomatoes…I'm out of onions. Would she like it with more carrots? Nah, that is a stupid question and rather offensive. Everything should be fine, it is a shame we don't have any meat for it.'_ Ace was thinking about doing a good stew or simple soup for everyone, as he was getting tired of using rock soup as Diamo doesn't eat much as himself, or especially 'the big guy'.

He arranged everything, letting the pot boiled some water on the campfire while Ace launched the ingredients into the air. Wielding both knives on each hand, he started to slash and cut the vegetables into small slices. Those fell into the already-boiled pot, mixing together perfectly. While moving the spoons in circles, he tasted the soup. _'It needs more salt, where did I leave it?'_ He took some from one of his bags, sighing. _'I need to organize it more, what a pain.'_ After adding some condiments and his special family sauce, Ace surpassed his own expectations as in massive quotes to be called himself the next 'Iron Chef Remnant'.

* * *

6:45 on the morning, Velvet woke up as she smelled Ace's soup. She noticed that Kingston was already gone and only the optimistic man was doing the breakfast.

"Rise and shine!" His mood was upbeat as always. "You wake up just in time for breakfast."

"Where is he?" Velvet asked him while moving the blankets aside.

"Who, my partner? He is doing some recon while I was cooking. Don't worry; he will be back in an hour."

"Aren't you worried if he doesn't come back?" Velvet sounded concern, knowing that being far apart could be dangerous.

"Nah, there is no chance anything could catch him off guard, or even get the upper hand before he or she gets shot by him." Ace was so carefree, yet confident of his partner's skills. "In the meanwhile, here is some of my special soup, be careful as it is still hot." He grabbed a bowl and poured some soup on it, giving the first portion to Velvet.

Velvet took the bowl carefully of not getting herself burned, doing small blows to cool it down. Once the soup was good enough, she started to sip it slowly. She really liked the flavor as it was almost like the one her grandma used to cook, with the only difference of not having too many carrots. "This is really good!"

"You like it huh? I only wished I could have better ingredients to make anything else than just soup." Ace said in a mildly prideful tone. "Hey, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead." Velvet replied as she looked curious because of her bunny ears emoted.

"What were you and your team doing here at Forever Fall?" Ace's tone sounded serious, almost cutting the smile.

"Oh, that…We were investigating some attacks that been occurring at Tint Hills by weeks."

"Weeks? That's too much for Grimm to attack the same place."

"That is the thing, it wasn't caused by Grimm."

"Really? Then by what exactly?" Ace looked surprised as it wasn't of what he could expect.

"That is what we don't know yet, but the most we could assume is an intelligent being."

"Intelligent, huh? Could it be the White Fang?" Ace inclined himself as the topic caught his interest.

"We discarded that possibility as the attacks don't follow the same pattern as the ones they usually do. Besides, they weren't any reports about them in the area."

"I see." Ace looked at a different direction, lost in thought. "Well, I hope you can get a clue along the way because it can be a lot of things."

"True" Velvet was looking at the sky, with so many doubts in her head. It would be difficult to find any clues all by herself. "Now that I answered your questions, it is my run."

"Shoot." He said it with a smile.

"Why you came here too?" Velvet question made Ace's mood became serious.

"Oh, that? Like I said last night, we are just travelers."

"I see." Velvet was disappointed by the answer. She and Ace kept eating the soup to almost not leaving enough for Diamo. "Hey, shouldn't leave so for him too?"

"Nope, apparently he doesn't like to eat anything cooked. He tends to eat mostly fruits, vegetables, and mixed seeds." Ace looked sad as he doesn't have enough people to enjoy his cooking.

"Well, I thinking you did such a great soup." She made a really sincere smile.

 _'My…her smile is so pure.'_ Ace was thinking. "I appreciate the opinion. Let's finish the soup because we have a long trip today." He was done eating, putting the bowls back to one of the bags.

They started to pack everything before Kingston could comeback. Ace told Velvet which things should go in the corresponding bag and backpack. As they were almost done the packing, Kingston finally returned from doing recon. He took out and put in the center of the campsite.

"Was any interesting things on the way, partner?" Ace asked his partner.

"We got a body of water miles away from us to the east. We have some Grimm on our way, the usual Beowolves which shouldn't be a problem for us." Diamo was pointing out on the map the route they had to take.

"Is there anything else?" Velvet asked as well.

"Nothing, in particular, I saw what appears a cave so we could camp there before the sun goes down." The sniper stored the map back to one of his pockets while eating some seeds. "Alright, let's move on!" Done with the plan, the group started to move on the next campsite before night. With Velvet and Ace on the front while Diamo followed them from behind.

* * *

The trip was long with rocks, cliffs and fallen trees blocking the path. They were agile enough to climb obstacles, but only to make some few steps back as sometimes they found nowhere to go and take another path to advance. 8 hours being passed and they stopped at the top of a hill to check the area below them. Kingston and Ace were in position, with Kingston aiming with his rifle with Ace looking around with his binoculars while they and Velvet were with the heads down.

Just like Diamo's info from earlier, the Grimm were roaming on the area. "Well, there are a lot of them…" Ace commented. "…But looks smaller than expect it. Should we go and kill some of them?"

"No, let's wait until they leave." Diamo replied as he didn't separate his sight from them.

They were still, not moving an inch from the hill for one hour. Ace got a little impatient about it. "Oh please, can we kill them? They didn't move and we are wasting time."

"…" Diamo didn't say a single word.

"Is there something wrong?" Velvet asked the sniper.

"…"

"Hello? Earth to partner, are you with us?" Ace tried to communicate with him, it didn't take too long before Diamo could say a word.

"Mhhh…you are right, they are not going to anywhere."

"See!? We should go and…" Before Ace could be done talking, he got interrupted by the sniper.

"But we cannot engage in combat, that would be a waste of energy, Ace."

"Man, always ruining the fun…" Ace was disappointed.

"Umm… guys, the Grimm are moving toward us…" Velvet pointed out to the creatures while the travelers focused their sight on them.

"This is not good, engage combat now!" Diamo took out a metal plate and put under his feet.

"Finally! Time for some fun!" Ace did the same thing with the metal plate. He gave another one to Velvet. "Watch this and follow our lead, this is something you are gonna like it." Ace went downhill, sliding with the metal plate like a snowboard.

"Keep the balance, maintain the calm and just do the same thing as us." Diamo launched himself into the hill too after done instructing Velvet about the metal plates; she was the last one to slide as well.

While sliding at full speed, Ace got prepared while pulling out a regular combat knife on his left hand while drawing his personal weapon, a hybrid of a handgun and a Bowie knife on his right hand. Diamo's sniper rifle started to change form, becoming a spear with a drill on the top while being on guard. Velvet was struggling with keeping her balance, but she adapted quickly as she saw the others being ready to fight against the Grimm.

A large rock was on the way of the hill, Ace moved to there and used as a ramp to impulse himself into the air. Diamo got the same idea and also leaped himself as he was pointing his spear to the ground. Both travelers were on the air, they started to fall down with their weapons ready for an air assault.

The guy with glasses landed on one of the Beowolves, impaling on top of the head with his spear and killing it instantly. Ace landed on the back of another, stabbing with both blades and manipulating him to charge towards other Grimm like a rodeo. Velvet jumped too, but she stared into the trees while taking pictures of their fight. As their movement were pretty fast as Diamo was able to use both spear and pistol to kill some of them around him without getting close to him. Ace did acrobatic jumps as he dodged the attacks, both stabbing and shooting while going underneath most of them.

Velvet got some fight on the trees as some Beowolves climbed and tried to get her, she repelled with some stomps and kicks as the Faunus moved to different trees in order to maintain her distance. She couldn't get enough pictures to replicate their weapons, but at least memorize their patterns in fighting style. It made her curious about how powerful they looked for simple travelers.

"Partner! One is coming on your six o'clock!" Ace shouted to his partner while he was riding another Beowulf.

"Got it!" Diamo holstered his pistol while his spear reverted back into a sniper rifle. In a matter of seconds, while the target was charging towards him, he was already focused, aiming to its weak spot. Before it could have the chance to attack him, Diamo shot at it, completely annihilated in a blink and miss that Velvet remembered how he did the same with the snake from last night.

"Be careful!" Velvet saw another Grimm going after Ace; she jumped towards it and kicked out of the way. Ace noticed that leaped towards it, stabbing the Beowulf into the belly while it was against a tree.

Another one came and grabbed Ace against the ground while he was holding the Grimm from the neck, trying to avoid the bites. Ace put his weapon on its mouth, and proceed to shoot it, freeing himself while Velvet did another kick to disorient it and leaving to Diamo, snipe it and killing instantly. That was the last Grimm on the field.

Everyone took deep breaths, recovering some of the energy after a pretty exhausting battle. "That was impressive, how did you learn to fight like that?" Velvet asked them as she was curious about the way they fought.

"That is a great question, just something we learned to survive." Ace exclaimed, almost in a suspicious tone.

"I don't think simple travelers could just learn to fight like that unless you are either huntsmen or military." Velvet's statement made both of the travelers look at each other with a nervous look.

"I think you are mistaken, Miss Scarlatina. We are just travelers, but we learned to survive, nothing out of the ordinary." Diamo tried to explain in a serious tone, Velvet wasn't convinced enough.

"Hey, I'm not that dumb to notice the style of fighting you have. I can analyze the pattern of someone else and understand. You looked already trained and experience, tell me the truth: Who are you guys?" Velvet crossed her arms, as they could be even more dangerous.

"Well…we…"

"Help!" Ace got interrupted by a man that yelled from a close distance to them.

"Huh? Is someone in trouble?" Ace asked while they were trying to pinpoint the direction of the voice.

"I can hear him…He is over there!" Velvet used her ears to identify the voice. "You better explain to me everything after we are done helping that man."

"Hey, do you think he could be…?" Ace asked his partner.

"Probably, let's be cautious." Diamo moved towards to where the yells came from, Ace and Velvet followed him.

They saw a man trapped with his leg under a trunk, being completely exposed.

"I should go and…"

"Sorry about this, but don't try to go there by yourself." Ace got on her way, not letting her go to help that man.

"Huh? Why?"

"Mhhh…" Ace looked pretty serious. "This is too dangerous, even for any huntsman. Hey partner, you and Velvet go to the trees and keep an eye on me. I will go and check by myself if anything bad happens." And like that, Ace went to see what is happening to the man in distress.

Velvet looked curious, as they didn't really trust that man. Could it be a trap or else?

"Thank goodness someone came." The man replied.

"Sure…What happened here?" Ace asked he was standing right where Kingston can see both him and the man.

"Oh, there was Ursa that knock down the tree, trapping me under it and I tried to yell for help!"

"Oh really? And what happened to the Ursa?" Ace asked while raising an eyebrow.

"Well…." That man started to feel uneasy, getting too nervous. "Brothers!" An arrow came out flying out the bushes, as Ace dodged it by a couple of inches.

"Well, well, well… looks like I ruined the surprise party." Ace commented as he saw himself being surrounded by 6 people in white robes, aiming at him with crossbows.

"Oh no, he is in trouble…" Velvet whispered to Kingston, with a worried expression.

"Don't worry, I'm already covering him." The sniper changed his clip for different rounds while still not looking away from his partner.

"So, how are you guys doing? I didn't expect a surprise party for me." Ace was talking to those men in white robes while doing a mocking tone.

"Enough with your games and where is Four-Eyes right now, Faunus sympathizer!" The man leading the group yelled at Ace.

 _'Faunus sympathizer? Do they know I'm with them?'_ Velvet was thinking after hearing the way Ace was called.

"Who, my partner? We got separated after the last time we got that 'friendly' conversation with you. It is a shame how things turn out after that."

"We are not stupid; we know he is far from here, looking at us from a safe distance."

"Really perceptive of you, for a bunch of loonies that is." The ace expression became serious, tired of listening to them.

"We are serving to clean Remnant from those impure beings, and you call us crazy when you are supporting them for our destruction."

"Heh, at least the White Fang cares about their own kind, you guys hate both humans and Faunus equally."

"Well then, seems there are not much to talk now." The man extended his right hand, giving the signal to his group. "Brothers…!" Everyone was still, Diamo was in a position to shoot the group. "Execute him!"

After the signal, the sniper shot to one before any of them could react. As the other got caught by surprise, they turned around to see where the gunshot came from. Ace used that opportunity to sneak on the tall grass and get them by surprise. Velvet decided to leave the tree and start assisting to fight some of those people. They noticed her and start focusing on the Faunus.

One member of the group used a Fire Dust arrow on his crossbow, shooting at Velvet. Ace jumped on the way and blocked the projectile; he didn't suffer any damage as his body was glowing with a red Aura. With that energy, he used his weapon to return the same kind of fire projectile to that member.

 _'What was that it was his Semblance?'_ Velvet was thinking as he saw the way he blocked the fire for her.

Diamo shot another round, this time it bounced between two targets, knocking them out. Their forces were decreasing as how easy to defeat them was for Velvet and those two travelers. The last one tried to run away, but Velvet leaped towards him and pushes back to the area. Ace held him around the neck with his weapon, completely immobilized. "Where do you think are you going?" Ace asked him as the man had the arms on the air.

"What do you want from me…?" The man wasn't being cooperative with them, already feeling fear.

"Just like the last time, we tried to ask you. Do you know this man?" Diamo showed a picture of a bald man and a thick beard.

"My lips are sealed…"

"No response, eh? Velvet, could you cover your eyes? I don't want you to see what we are going to do with this guy." Ace was smiling, much to the hostage's sense of dread.

"Sure thing." Velvet just did what Ace told her to do; she covered her eyes with her bunny ears. Ace proceed to change the elemental function of his weapon from fire to electricity, the blades got sparks around it.

"Please, you are not going to do that, do you?" The man was feeling panic, shaky.

"For the last time, do you know where this guy is!?" Diamo yelled at the hostage, he was sweating due to how he felt too much pressure.

"I can't tell where Master Copper is!" Everyone fell in silence after what the hostage said. Diamo and Ace looked at each other.

"So…Master Copper eh? He sounds like he is in charge of all of you." Ace replied, pretty much looked satisfied with the response.

"W-What do you want with him?" The hostage was almost out of breath.

"None of your business, but you gave us all that we needed. Ace, if you please…" The guy with glasses nodded at Ace; he made a small contact with the blunt side of his electrocuted knives on the hostage's neck, knocking him down. "Well, it looks like we got a clue after so much time wasted."

"One step at the time, don't you think? We should go to the camping site and rest." Ace suggested as the travelers kept walking, leaving those people on their own luck. Velvet had so many questions after witnessing how they managed to deal with the situation, nothing made sense to her.

"Hey, do you mind to finally explain what is happening?" Velvet tone sounded serious than her usual demeanor.

"No need Miss Scarlatina, this is something that shouldn't involve…"

"No, I'm not going to follow you until you tell me who you guys are." Velvet's eyes were angry, something that made Ace uneasy, knowing that an angry lady is the worst thing to deal with. Ace looked at Kingston as they weren't sure if to accept her demand or not, they nodded at each other in agreement.

"Alright, we will tell you most of it until we get to the campsite. Don't expect much answers as this is a really delicate matter." Ace's tone was serious, really important that Velvet couldn't doubt anymore.

They kept walking until they finally reached the cave; nobody talked or commented about what happened on the day during the rest of the trip. The ever jolly guy lit the campfire with his weapon while Diamo arranged some leaves to cover the cave and blend with the environment. As they were done while Velvet was sitting away from them, Ace took some folder out of his bag with pictures and documents. "So, where do we start explaining?" Ace asked Velvet.

"From the beginning, if it is possible." Velvet replied while crossing her arms.

"Alright, better pay attention because this is a harsh story for us." While letting the winds blow inside the cave and make the fire grow, Ace got a sad expression, hard to hide it for him.


	3. Into the Red Forest III

**Disclaimer: RWBY Characters, places and terminologies with the exception of the Original Characters belongs to Rooster Teeth Productions.**

* * *

 _Have you heard of team JAQK? If you didn't we won't blame you, we were the bad apple from Atlas Academy. For a highly advanced school to teach military and special tactics, sometimes they can hold a lot of grudges to almost anyone. Despite our record of accomplishing missions and being outstanding, there was one thing that still made us infamous around Atlas, and it was our leader, my bro Jack._

 _Even if he didn't want to attract attention in general, he became the perfect target for an unknown group to be the scapegoat on an incident that caused a lot of people to die during the Vytal Festival on Vale. When the Grimm took over Beacon Academy, we got our own problems with my bro, who was blamed for the death of 50 people from a rescue vehicle. That is a lie as we were with him during the attack, not even my old man, a high ranking officer from Atlas Military, couldn't be able to clear the misunderstood and he became a wanted criminal._

 _So why are we doing all this? To help him out of course, just like he always supported us. I, my partner, and our fourth member Quinn have the task to investigate the real culprits of the incident. The Grimm destroying Beacon was just bad luck for us as we had to retreat and plan everything. Luckily, some of those people left archives while they were trying to survive the Grimm attack._

 _The first thing we learned was about this man in the picture. According to Quinn, he was a scientist that worked for Merlot Industries, on the Atlas Division Group. The problem was the report said he died at Forever Fall, but never got concrete evidence if it was true or not. It looks like we skipped the trouble to confirm his existence; "Master Copper" is alive in this very area._

* * *

Ace was done narrating; Velvet was out of words of how much there are risking their own lives to help their leader. Diamo didn't bother to correct or say something else. The ambient felt heavy, almost too cold despite how close they were to the campfire while being inside the cave. Ace couldn't smile after talking, not jokes, nothing to lighten the mood.

"So, you chose to become deserters just to clean Jack's name?" Velvet broke the silence with that question.

"Even he didn't want us to get involve into this, but we refused to listen to him, not as a leader but as a friend in need," The sniper replied while cleaning his glasses.

"Jack dealt a lot in his life; this was way too much for him. While a lot of people turned their backs at him, we wouldn't ever do that." Ace spoke proudly and clear.

"So why they are not here with you?" Velvet wondered how they are not present to help Ace and Diamo.

"Well… Jack decided to hide at his girlfriend's home at Mistral; I bet they are not there yet. Quinn returned to Atlas…"

"A stupid move by the way..." Diamo interrupted Ace.

"It really was, but he came back to Atlas in order to find more clues as we can't confront the real culprits without enough evidence. The only thing I hope is he doesn't get caught by General Ironwood or any other Atlassian robots. Too bad he never said goodbye to my partner's sister…" Ace snorted with a smile.

"Could you stop mention Dana and Quinn together in the same sentence every time?" Diamo got angry about Ace's comment.

"Oh come on, you know how much they have more in common like not getting along with you, partner." Diamo decided to turn his back and start maintaining his weapon in order to ignore Ace. "Good thing Quinn is not here to listen this or he would start saying 'Goddammit Ace' and all while getting angry at me."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the cold streets of the Kingdom of Atlas, a man with a muscular complex was sitting on an alleyway. He sneezed while feeling a small chill on his body, but he wasn't sick though. "Grrr…stupid Atlas and its damn weather." He said it with a really annoying attitude, almost angry at everything around him.

* * *

Back to Forever Fall in the Kingdom of Vale, Velvet was really curious about the other two members of the team. The kind of bonds they have with each other despite their antics and things that they hate each other. Ace looked at Velvet, fueling the concern of how that group they encountered earlier will cause more trouble to them. "Hey, back with those people who called you a Faunus sympathizer, who are they?" Velvet asked.

"Them? They are the Purifiers." Ace replied with a tone that he clearly didn't like them.

"Purifiers…?"

"Imagine the White Fang with humans instead and multiplied by eleven." Ace gave an odd expression to Velvet, she already got the idea. "Exactly."

"Then how did you meet them?"

"Well, …let's just say we got to the 'wrong place at the wrong time' sort of situation." Ace looked embarrassed for a moment, but he turned it back into his serious expression. "Whatever the case, they are not someone to mess with when it comes to numbers. Don't get fooled by their primitive appearances, they are more dangerous than your usual bandits."

"Then I will have to go back to Samsara by myself. I don't want to cause you any more trouble if they hate me for being Faunus." Velvet was sad about how much struggle could cause with her presence, mostly when they have something more important than just escorting her to civilization.

"Silly rabbit, you don't have to do that."

"Huh!?" Velvet reacted in shock after hearing Ace.

"You are not gonna cause us trouble, because you are in more danger than us. At least we can protect you until we reunite you with your team."

"Oh…right…" Velvet really felt safe, knowing that even they bother to help some despite their priorities.

"Besides, we made a deal, isn't it?" Ace's smile pretty much-convinced Velvet of not being worry about those two. "Welp, I'll do some recon right now. Get comfy here, Velvet." Ace grabbed his weapon and left the cave for his shift.

It's been a long day and things escalated pretty quickly Velvet, they are could have the chance of not doing nothing and save themselves. True friends just like her and team CFVY. Kingston picked up a teapot and started to pour some water on it while staying over the fire. Velvet noticed that he used some herbs on a small cage while inside of the teapot.

"Hey, Diamo?" Velvet asked while looking at the herbs. "What are those?"

"Mhh? Just some leaves of dandelions, mint, and clovers."

"And what are for?"

"A special tea, it helps with the concentration." Diamo commented while mixing the herbs inside the teapot. He used a spoon to sate the tea, he made a small smile.

"You know, something caught my attention about you the first time I met you."

"And what is it, Miss Scarlatina?" Diamo raised one eyebrow about Velvet's curiosity.

"You look like someone who knows a lot about nature. How did you learn all that?"

"You are doing too many questions, are you?"

"Sorry, just I couldn't help it." Velvet covered her eyes out of embarrassment. "I don't want to bother you if it is none of my business."

"It's alright, I wouldn't mind sharing some of my experience to someone else." Diamo was done making the tea, as he poured on two cups for him and Velvet. "Where do I start explaining? The most I can tell is I was born at Shady Sands, a settlement close to Vacuo, pretty harsh place though. My family and I had to learn how to survive, a desert wasn't the best when it comes to plants but at least we were able to get some hunting."

"Then how can you tell the different classes of plants if they were so rare at Vacuo?"

"I learned when we moved to Mistral, we didn't get any better in the style of life but can't complain since it was an improvement for us."

"I see…that explains how good you are with the rifle if you learned how to hunt for so long."

"Actually, I'm just good with the rifle due to my Semblance." Diamo affirmed while taking another sip of his cup of tea.

"Now you mention it, I saw Ace's earlier when we fought the Purifiers, but I never saw yours." Velvet just realized what kind of power could have for people trained at the military.

"Ace's Semblance is Adaptation: He can nullify any elemental attack to him as long he had the right Dust in his weapon. The drawback for him is he is vulnerable to opposite elements, like fire against ice and vice versa. Mine is Focus, the most I could explain is everything becomes slow when I get concentrated on my aiming. You can say it suits me but I never knew about it until I attended at Atlas Academy." Diamo showed his rifle to Velvet, noticing it is pretty old with scratches, some dirt, and a label with the title 'Predator's Eye' on it. "As you can see, this rifle belonged once to my uncle a long time ago; he once said to me it is the only friend I could need it to survive in this harsh world. Well, meeting Jack and the other two of team JAQK helped me to understand more about getting along with others, either as soldiers or friends."

In a way, Velvet understood the same feeling of isolation as him. She remembered her first year at Beacon before the initiation of forming teams; she was pretty much alone without her family to support her far from home. Despite Beacon has no issues about Faunus, there were people that didn't like her. Coco was the first one to be friendly towards Velvet on the first day at Beacon. The thought made Velvet to crack a smile and laugh, Kingston noticed her for the odd behavior.

"What is so funny?"

"Sorry, I just remembered something funny when you mentioned about your friends. It was when I attended Beacon Academy on the first day, and I was all by myself away from home and family."

"And?"

"Well, my partner Coco was the first one I talked with, and the first thing she said to me was 'nice scarf,' and I wasn't able to respond properly of how nervous I was that day."

"It sounds something that Ace would say to start a conversation." Diamo smiled a bit; he found it funny as well.

"I know right? I mean, my scarf on that day was a gift from my grandma before leaving home, and it wasn't made by any fashion brand." Velvet couldn't stop smiling at the sweet memories; it felt like yesterday for her. "I hope to see them again soon…"

"Now I have a question for you, what about the rest of your teammates?" It caught Diamo's attention when she started talking about her friends.

"Well, …not much to tell about them, as Yatsuhashi treats me like her little sister. I wouldn't mind it as I'm pretty much the youngest sibling in my family. Fox is the same on a lesser degree, as he actually likes to compete with me."

"I see…" The guy with glasses started to recall his friend's behaviors. "Well, looks like you are much better than us."

"Why you say that? I saw you and Ace getting along pretty well."

"Yeah, but for me and Quinn…? Not by much…"

"How?" Velvet's ears emoted with curiosity, as the left ear was downed while the right one was standing up.

"We just can't get along much as he really likes to challenge authority, a really destructive behavior for his own good. I learned to never disobey orders if I wanted to survive, he, on the other hand, doesn't like to respect any person."

"That must be really hard for you as a team."

"Not really, even he hates authority and order; he will only listen to our leader. A really odd idea considering everything I stated before."

"Is that so, huh…?" Velvet didn't expect a person like him being so tamed, almost like a dog. "Speaking of Quinn, what was all that when Ace mentioned about him and your sister…?"

"Stop!" Diamo interrupted Velvet, on an annoying attitude. "I prohibit you from talk about it, ever again."

"O-Ok then…" Diamo getting angry was really rare to see for Velvet, mostly because of his usual calm attitude. "Do you usually do this?"

"Doing what?"

"You and Ace taking turns on exploring the woods alone…"

"It helps us to sleep at night, knowing there is nothing to ambush us." He served himself more tea; it cooled it down due to the long talk. "It is impossible for any person being able to discover him as he specializes in infiltration."

'A sniper and an infiltrator, it is a terrifying combination for those two. I wonder what kind of people are the other two members.' Velvet was thinking as she took that in the account for how good they are. As for the night was young, she decided to check her weapon of how good it is with the pictures of their fighting styles. So far she only got 4 good pictures of Kingston as he didn't do much movement to obscure his fight, Ace only got 2 as he was too fast to focus the image, is difficult to capture him or his weapons.

"You should sleep earlier; we are going to leave in the morning as soon as we wake up." Diamo commented to Velvet while she was yawning.

"Okay…" She grabbed the same blankets from last night; Diamo stopped her from using those.

"I suggest you use this, is better to sleep well." The sniper offered his sleeping bag as he doesn't sleep much while doing vigilance at night.

"Thank you." Velvet smiled as she accommodated everything to sleep. "Goodnight."

"Get some rest, Miss Scarlatina." He started to get in position to see around the area from the cave, he saw some smoke coming from a far distance. He couldn't tell how far exactly but at least good enough of not finding unwanted visits. 'At this rate, we are going to be in trouble if we don't get that man soon.' He was thinking, pretty much worried about their situation. He pulled out an old pocket watch, looking at the hour of how long Ace was already out. He started to saw some lights among the trees; he aimed carefully to identify the possible threat.

"- -.-(0K)" The lights started to blink from the distance.

".-. - -…(RTB)" Diamo replied with his flashlight, the light stopped blinking and just keep watching around if anything else happens in the meanwhile.

* * *

It was the 4:30 pm, the group already left the cave 7 hours ago. They continued on with the route as there weren't any Grimm or Pacifiers appearing on the way. Ace was yawning, almost in boredom. The route was much better than the one from the previous day, with the occasional rock or cliff that interrupted their trip.

They decided to make a short break to eat and get some rest, as they still have much time before the sunset.

"Ugh, my back hurts…" Ace commented while he stretched his limbs.

"Are you alright, Ace?" Velvet asked.

"I think I slept on top of a pebble or something." He rubbed his back, almost looking like a zombie due to his posture.

"Better check this out, Ace." Diamo called him out while aiming at the area with his rifle. Ace went to his position and started looking with his binoculars, Velvet was aside of him.

"Oh, fuzznuggets…" Ace did a concerned expression.

"What is happening?" Velvet asked Ace about it, he handed over the binoculars so Velvet could see it by herself. Once focused her sight, she noticed that wasn't a good time for them. It was a White Fang flag.

"Yep, those guys are taking their sweet time camping." Ace commented as he took back his binoculars from Velvet. As he was checking the members, something felt wrong about them. "This is odd; looks like their numbers are pretty lower than usual."

"What makes you say that?" Velvet replied.

"Ace is right; something is bothering me about it as well. Their groups tend to be bigger than that." Diamo noted as his sight is going all over the camp. Velvet didn't get it at first until she got the idea that their groups are usually around more than 20 people. Only 7 were showing around the camp. "We should move on and avoid any unnecessary conflict…" In a matter of seconds, they heard a gunshot on the camp.

The camp was being attacked by the Purifiers, as they were shooting arrows from all directions. The White Fang members were fighting back, but their forces were weaker as being cornered one by one. It became total chaos as the group looked from a safe distance, but worried that the Purifiers will catch them and be in much trouble as they were around 25 people raiding the camp. No one thought the White Fang could suffer so much loss on a single strike. The Purifiers were done destroying the camp and started to look for any survivors. Some of them took prisoners and carried by collars and chains, leaving the camp with a march.

Seeing such horrible acts made Ace's weapon to glow red and heated. He did an angry grind and his eyes were really showing a terrifying expression that Velvet, not even Diamo could ever expect to see him in that state. "We need to do something, now." Ace's voice was in a different mood, almost it wasn't him.

"Are you serious!?" Despite she didn't like them either, it was weird to her helping what many people consider them terrorists.

"I absolutely, 100% positively serious." Ace replied in a calm, yet angry tone.

"I don't think Kingston would be agreed with that."

"Miss Scarlatina is right; we can just follow them and find their hideout. We cannot risk this chance if want to accomplish our mission." Diamo interjected as he looked confident with his answer.

"I mean, I don't like the idea of letting them causing trouble to them, but this is way too dangerous for us." Velvet was agreed with Diamo, despite Ace's choice.

"Even if the White Fang is trouble for everyone in Remnant, we are not letting Purifiers to terrorize anyone, White Fang or not." Ace was determined to intervene and fight the Purifiers.

"We cannot do such a reckless choice, Ace." Diamo took off his glasses and look at Ace directly to the eyes.

"I'm sorry, Ace." Velvet apologized to him, as she knew very well that it wasn't possible to help anyone.

"Follow them if you want, I will fight the ones that are still in the camp." Ace sighed while pulling out his metal plate and advancing towards the camp. Velvet tried to stop him, but he went ahead by himself. He hid in the bushes looking for some of the Purifiers, they weren't aware of Ace's presence. He started to advance steadily, dragging them to the bushes and knocked them out with his weapon. Only 3 Purifiers where around roaming the camp, but wasn't a much of a problem for Ace. He started to look around the tents, completely empty on each one of them.

Ace heard noises coming inside of another tent, there were a lot of boxes and crates with weapons and supplies. Everything was a mess, as the crates were scattered all over the tent. He heard the noises again, as something was under the mess. Ace moved the stuff aside, there was an arm moving. He dragged what appeared to be a White Fang survivor; he had horns from a rhino. He was injured from the arms and chest, Ace tried to put him in a good position to treat the wounds.

"Don't touch me, human." The White Fang member spoke in a rather weak tone of voice, Ace ignored him. "Hey, are you listening? I said don't you dare to…"

"I heard you already, I'm not stupid. Stay still and don't move until I'm done." Ace kept helping him, using medicine that he got in his backpack to clean and heal wounds.

"Are you just treating me so you can drag me like the rest that invaded my people?"

"As if, I'm not with them if is what are you saying." Ace was done helping the survivor, leaving him hiding behind the piles of crates.

"Why? Why helping me if we hate your race?" The survivor was astonished at how a human helped a White Fang member.

"Does it matter if you hate me? I know someone who got worse though." Ace just left him safe; the Faunus was out of words of his actions.

Velvet was waiting for him outside of the tent; Ace wasn't really expecting her to follow him. "What a surprise, I thought you would following them with my partner."

"I wanted to make sure you are fine if there weren't any more Pacifiers around." Velvet's concern sounded sincere, much to Ace's delight.

"Well no worry for me, you know I can handle most things with no issue."

"Good to hear, because there is Grimm coming this way…"

"Huh…?" Ace reacted confused to Velvet's serious response, as he saw an Ursa pack coming towards them. "I already had the feeling that some would come here after what happened in this place." Both Ace and Velvet got their weapons ready to defend themselves. "I hope my partner doesn't have a problem leaving me here to chase those guys without you."

"Don't underestimate me, Ace. I can cover you for him pretty well." Velvet's weapon was glowing from the lenses.

"Good… because I would need someone to watch my back from a safe distance." Ace's weapon started glowing yellow with sparks around the blade while holding smaller knives on his left hand between his fingers. The Ursai arrived and charged against the group, Velvet jumped from a higher altitude. Her weapon formed a copy of Diamo's spear, a projection made out of solid light. She was falling towards the first one coming to them, stabbing it on the back while drilling it further.

Ace dodged the attack from the second one while throwing the small knives on its eyes to blind him. It didn't stop the Ursa to keep fighting, as it swung his claws to him. He kept dodging the swings while looking for an opening, but couldn't get any closer as the Grimm size made him unable to counter-attack without receiving any damage. Ace slashed to the left claw, but it wasn't affected by the electricity. He changed the element type from electricity to ice, hoping to slow it down. Ace counter attacked once more, Ursa's right claw froze and became fragile to swing anymore. The faster he could, Ace made another strike on the frozen claw and shattered into pieces.

Velvet was dealing with more as she tried to take advantage of the short duration of her Semblance. She tried to pierce Ursai heads with the spear and changing to the sniper rifle, despite not dealing much damage to them. Velvet jumped out of their way while switching weapons with Ace's, as she slashed while running on their way. She was swinging while shooting small burst into the Grimm's eyes and torso. She did a dodge roll when another Ursa charged towards her from behind, things became complicated for her as she has to deal with two at the same time. Ace was still busy with more on his side of the battle.

"This is not good, those Grimm are really resilient." Ace commented to Velvet as he was right behind her back.

"I know, and I don't think I can keep going fighting with my weapon." Velvet checked the pictures of Ace's and Diamo's weapons, she only got two left from each one.

"That is a neat weapon, Velvet. There's still anything left?" Ace asked Velvet without separating his sight of the Grimm.

"Yeah, but not enough to kill one."

"It is fine, I have a plan. Use my weapon first and I will tell you when to switch." Ace took out more small knives out of his jacket with his left hand, holding them firmly and ready to throw them. "Alright, try to circle them together at the center. You will know my signal of when to switch it." Velvet nodded at him when he was done doing the instructions.

They were all ready to kill those two Grimm. Velvet and Ace rushed to the opposite direction to deal with different Ursa, as they took the offensive to make them step backward. Their speed was enough to evade and slash horizontally while the Ursa couldn't hold their positions. It was a matter of time when they made the Grimm surrounded by them, cornered against each other's backs. Once the Grimm got surrounded by them, Ace made the signal to Velvet of pointing two fingers on the palm of his hand. Velvet got the idea and switched her weapon into a spear. Ace shot to Ursa's torsos with ice rounds, while Velvet pierced them on the same spot, sticking them together and unable to escape. Ace leaped towards them with his blade with fire mode and slashed both Grimm's head at the same time. Those Grimm were killed, with their bodies disappearing into the air.

"That was awesome, what was all that fighting!?" Ace got excited after seeing Velvet's real strength.

"Oh, are you referring my Semblance? It is Mimicry, I can analyze and copy other people fighting styles, and my weapon can recreate them with the pictures for a short time."

"That's so cool; I hoped you took my best angle…" Before Ace could say anything, he saw right behind of Velvet something moving through the bushes. An arrow flew right towards her. "Look out!" Ace moved her out of the way, getting hit by the arrow on his left shoulder.

"Ace!" Velvet gasped in horror, seeing how he saved her life.

He returned fire with an ice projectile; it was against another Purifier that didn't get knocked out at all after Ace ambushed him. The ice projectile landed on his head, freezing him on the act. The arrow on the shoulder looked bad, as pretty much took by surprise for Velvet as she wasn't able to hear the attack. The worst part was the arrow penetrating Ace's Aura, which was weird as it didn't protect him at all. "This isn't good for me, huh?" Ace said it in really jokingly tone, but he was worried though.

"I need you to take to Kingston, right now!" Velvet started to panic, as she tried to remove the arrow from Ace's shoulder.

"Hey, stop right there!" Someone yelled from a distance, it was Diamo running towards Velvet.

"Thank goodness you came; we need to remove this arrow out of his shoulder."

"Sorry, we can't do that…" Diamo's comment made Velvet confused about why not removing it. "This arrow, it got poison on it." That shocked both Velvet and Ace, much to the sniper's regrets.


	4. Into the Red Forest IV

**Disclaimer: RWBY Characters, places and terminologies with the exception of the Original Characters, belongs to Rooster Teeth Productions.**

* * *

"Y-You are joking, r-right, partner?" Ace was feeling a little panic, having some difficulties to maintain his upbeat tone. Velvet and Diamo were carrying him to the nearest tent from the White Fang camp. "I'm not feeling well…" He started to feel dizzy while being in denial.

"How can you be so sure about it?" Velvet asked Diamo, worried about Ace's health.

"One almost hit me, but it landed on a tree instead." The sniper showed the arrow to them. "It unleashes fumes around it. No matter what, be careful to do not remove the arrow or the poison will react faster due to the oxygen." Diamo put Ace in the same tent where the White Fang survivor was, he was unpleased to see another human around.

"Oh great…another human coming to pay a visit…what the hell happened to him?" The Faunus noticed Ace's state, as for how he became sick from a moment to the next.

"No time to explain. I need to heal him as soon as possible." Diamo was trying to act quickly while keeping his calm demeanor. Despite appearances, Velvet could feel his real emotional state as she was hearing his heart-beats going on a faster rate than usual. He was under pressure. They lifted Ace on a bunk, laying him while Kingston started to search something on his backpack.

"Come on, come on, where is that jar…?" Diamo was throwing stuff aside, looking for the purple herbs jar. "I got it…dammit, I don't have the antibiotics." He turned his head to the rhino Faunus. "You…! Where the antibiotics are?"

"Like hell, I would tell you." He refused to answer Diamo.

"My partner is dying! I don't have time for this." The sniper started to lift and throw everything in a furious manner; Velvet was astonished to see him losing his composure. He was searching every inch around the tent to find the antibiotics.

Velvet was looking as well, as she saw the First-aid kit on the floor. She opened to see if it got everything that Diamo needed. The bunny Faunus only got used syringes and dirty bandages. It grossed her out.

"Hey Ace, I need you to keep talking to make sure you are still with us." Diamo yelled on the other side of the tent while still looking for the antibiotics.

"That sounds like the easiest job for me." Even in the brink of death, he is still on his humorous tone. "Is it normal for me to see everything blurry?"

"We are running out of time, tell me where the antibiotics are!" Diamo's patience was running low; he was getting angrier to the White Fang survivor for not being cooperative.

"Make my day; I don't care about you or your friend." Diamo was getting upset that pulled out his pistol and aimed at the rhino Faunus. "Typical of you, all humans resort to violence as always."

"Enough!" Velvet got in the middle of them.

"Now what, are you getting on his side? You are being a dishonor for your own kind." He replied to his fellow Faunus.

"I don't care about it; you are being ungrateful of what he did for you!" She recalled about what Ace did to him moments ago. "He tried to save your life and this is how you repay him? Letting him die?"

"What the…? Did you say that!?"

"I did, he and his partner saved me too. We just need to know where the antibiotics are, please. Did the White Fang never teach you to care for each other?" Velvet's words really left the White Fang survivor unable to counter-argue about it. He was struggling with doing what he believes and what is honorable to do.

"On the desk on your left, second drawer." He replied.

"Thank you." Velvet said it politely while Diamo acted fast on getting them. He found them and started to mix them with the purple herbs. It was a race against time as he needed to do some fermentation first put them on Ace's wound. He grabbed so breakers and water but couldn't get any source of heat to work on the antidote.

"Ace, I need your weapon for some fire." The sniper asked him while Ace grabbed it and changing its elemental property. Once already in fire mode, Diamo put the mix on Ace's weapon while he was holding it from the grip with both hands. Velvet held Ace's arms to keep them steady and not letting shake too much. Already on point, he needed the mix to freeze it immediately. "Ace, cool it down now!" His weapon changed to ice properties.

The antidote was almost done but needed to divide it into two separated containers. Kingston poured some in a flask and the other in a syringe. "Open big." Diamo instructed Ace to open his mouth and drink the antidote. Velvet filled the syringe with the rest of it and gave to Diamo on hand. "Alright, grab the arrow and take it off him quickly while I inject him with this. It may hurt Ace in the process." He explained carefully to Velvet, she was getting ready while waiting for Diamo's orders. Both of them were sweating due to the tension. Their hands started to shake as the seconds increased.

"Could you two hurry up? I'm losing my breath…"

"Be quiet, we need some concentration." Diamo berated him for being impatient. "On the count of 3…" They started to get their arms firm enough to get everything done.

"One…Two…"

Ace closed his eyes, Velvet held her breath, and Kingston felt his mouth was getting dry. It was all or nothing for them as Velvet was holding the arrow and Ace's arm on the surface.

"…Three!" Velvet took off the arrow from Ace's shoulder while he started to scream in pain due to the effects of the poison making contact with the oxygen. Without any time to waste, Diamo injected the antidote on the injury in a manner like he was stabbing someone to death.

The process was successful.

Everyone started to make deep breaths; it was a close call for Ace. As they were done, Velvet fell on her knees while Kingston took a chair and sat on it. Ace laid his head down against the bunk, feeling more relieved but exhausted because of the antidote. "Dude, I almost kicked the bucket." He said it optimistic as always.

"So, are you cured?" Velvet asked them.

"Not yet, it is just temporary." Diamo replied.

"What!?" Both Ace and Velvet yelled in unison. "What do you mean I'm not completed cured yet?" Ace was rather upset and afraid of knowing he wasn't 100% safe.

"The herbs and antibiotics are only going to slow down the effect until I give you a more powerful antidote." Diamo said while examining the arrow with poison.

"Then what else are we missing for the real antidote?" Velvet asked.

"I will make things simple for you, Miss Scarlatina. The ingredients that I would need are a red sap, some sample of snake's venom, and a quite rare specimen of mushroom. The latter only grows under some tree's roots, like truffles but not edible." The sniper's explanations were good enough for Velvet. Red sap was abundant so it shouldn't be a problem for anyone to find it. Snake's venom wasn't hard either as Forever Fall got a lot of wildlife. The mushrooms were the greatest issue as those were underground without a way to detect them.

"Then what are we going to do with Ace?" Velvet looked at him while feeling worried because they could leave him alone.

"We need both of us to go and divide the search for the remaining ingredients. If one of us stays to look for Ace, it would take us all day."

"Long story short, I will die if you guys take too long, right?" Ace affirmed, at least trying to put a fake smile.

"Right, but we can't take you with us either." Diamo started to think in a way to keep an eye on Ace until he noticed the rhino Faunus. "You, I want to ask you to keep him safe while we are out."

"Mhhh…Do you know? I could reject it because I don't like you, but it wouldn't be fair for me since I owe him for what he did moments ago." The White Fang survivor didn't complaint about Diamo's request. "But remember this: the moment you are done saving his life, we will become enemies again. Don't make me regret it."

"Great, I always like the company, shame wasn't a cute nurse though." Ace always had the time to say jokes on the worst times.

"Thank you, Mister." Velvet said it politely while she and Kingston were leaving the tent. Both ace and the rhino Faunus were completely away from each other, resting on their respective places. They remained silent for a whole minute until the Faunus spoke.

"So tell me something."

"Mhh? What is it?" Ace replied.

"How can you be so happy and optimistic when you are dying?"

"What makes you think that dying makes me happy?"

"I'm curious about how a person like you cannot take those kinds of things seriously."

"If you think that being optimistic means I'm being naïve of my surroundings, you are thinking of the wrong person."

"What do you mean?" The Faunus asked with amaze.

"I'm always aware of my surroundings. In a place like a Remnant, for people who you think are being optimistic, I see more like lifesavers. The truth is, someone has to give a smile to people and give them hope for their future." Ace's speech sounded sincere, not even for a playful tone.

"Even though, why bother? You know how life works. You know that someday all of us are going to die."

"But if I'm going to die, just like right now, at least should leave a smile on my last moments." No matter how bad the situation was for Ace, he was still doing his best efforts of being in high spirits.

"You are an odd person, for a traveler."

Ace tried to sit properly, but he was still under the antidote's effects. "Now that we are getting known better about each other, could you tell me your name?"

"Why you care about my name?" The Faunus looked curious about Ace's request.

"Just to refer you properly, or you want me to refer you with insulting names like those freaks in white robes?"

"I guess so, I'm Karkadann Bane." The Faunus presented himself in a friendly manner.

"That sounds mouthful for me, do you mind if I call you Karan?"

"Ehh, I think is better than being called 'horn-head', 'freak of nature', or any other thing that people tend to refer us. There is still one thing I never asked a human before."

"What is it?"

"Why you don't hate Faunus like everybody else? I just noticed that you have a Faunus girl following you."

"Oh, that? It is for two reasons: The first one is my bro because he is known for being infamous all around Atlas Academy."

"Is he your friend a Faunus?"

"No."

"Then why is he being hated by everyone around?"

"That is one thing I rather not want to talk about it, but all I can say he is not any different from the Faunus being shunned by humans." Ace tried to keep his smile, but his mouth made a serious expression. That really bothers him.

"Is that so?" Karan was lost in thought, wondering how many other humans could hate each other. It was in their nature.

"The second one is about a Faunus friend we used to have for a long time ago. He wasn't hated as much as my bro but still struggled to be accepted. His name was Argent Stakes, a hedgehog Faunus. It is said that no matter where he goes, he always found himself as a freak due to being the only albino Faunus in the whole Remnant."

"An albino Faunus? That is something I never heard of before."

"And I didn't tell you the worst part yet. My bro and Argent were pretty much rivals back then, their connection was something special for them due to being only themselves against everyone, to prove how they are not afraid of who they are. In the end, it never worked out for either."

"Why though? What makes you think that?"

"Because Argent died, and Jack blamed himself for it." Ace's words felt heavy, as he was coughing. "It was an explosion during a rescue mission on our first year. Both of them tried to save as many civilians as possible, Jack was still inside the building while Argent tried to drag him out before the place could get destroyed. No one came out and the building fell into ashes. Despite that, with everything in ruins and zero chances of survival, Jack was still alive under all the crumble."

"That sounds horrible." Karan looked at the floor, feeling sorry for it.

"Yeah, but losing a friend wasn't the only thing that Jack lose that day."

"Which is?"

"A wound that is impossible to heal, both physically and emotionally." Ace stopped smiling, as the story never got a happy ending. "After all what happened, my bro was still labeled as the plague. Life was still unfair to him, yet he is trying his best to overcome all that. That is something I can admire both humans and Faunus. Argent and Jack were the two faces of the same coin, different positions in life with a common goal. It was sad for all of us because Argent was our friend as well."

"You really like to talk a lot, you know that?" Karan commented jokingly.

"I'm good at it, nothing to be impressed." Ace replied similarly.

"But seriously though, I never met someone who cares about Faunus in that manner, as an equal."

"Isn't what the White Fang are fighting for?"

"Yes, but this something that I couldn't believe at first."

"Maybe you should talk with humans more often, without treating their lives of course."

"Hmph, maybe…" After done talking, Ace grabbed the arrow and started examining the same manner Kingston did. Apparently, both found it something odd about the metal on the arrowhead. Ace was curious about how something like that could ignore his Aura, it wasn't an ordinary metal but he got the feeling of seeing it before somewhere.

"Could it be…?"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the woods, Velvet and Diamo were busy getting the remaining ingredients for the strong antidote. They got an easy time to find the snake's venom and red sap. Velvet sometimes got distracted by tasting the red sap while the sniper was doing some hunt for snakes. As they were still missing the mushrooms, Diamo started to read one of his books about fungi.

"According to this book, that kind of mushroom is really similar to truffles when growing under tree's roots. The difference is its properties, being slimy and totally rotten. The most important thing to remember is that kind of mushroom grows under 'dead' trees roots. That should be easy if Forever Fall wasn't known for always having young and healthy trees."

"That sounds like a problem." Velvet commented as the last ingredient was harder to find.

"It is since we can't go far from here." Diamo got his back against a tree while reflecting about their options. "Our best chance is to dig under every single tree from the area."

"That would take us all day if we do that. Do you think there is like some kind of detector or something?" The bunny Faunus asked for more possibilities, not that it would help her anyway.

"Maybe, it is said some pigs have that skill to detect truffles underground. But of course, we can't get one right now in the middle of the woods." Diamo explained while examining the tree. He noticed it looked pretty old, as he changed his weapon to spear mode. He used the drill-like spearhead to dig closer to the tree's roots. Sadly for him, there wasn't the mushroom they need.

"You know, I was wondering something about you and Ace." Velvet asked while Diamo stopped for a moment to listen to the Faunus. "I know is none of my business, but why are you fighting for Jack's sake?"

"Is something wrong with it?" Diamo replied in his usual serious manner.

"It is the contrary actually, I think is great you are supporting your friend, but do you think is it worth to help me instead of focusing on your leader's problem? I don't want to be a load for you after what happened to Ace." Velvet felt ashamed feeling guilty about everything that happened so far.

"Ace already told you, you are not a load. In a way, I can see you are very similar to him."

"How so…?"

"You fight for the sake of other people. No matter what kind of person is, both of you is always willing to help the one in need." Diamo said it with a half-smile; Velvet sensed some of his jealousy.

They kept looking for the last ingredient; each hole they dug became hopeless as they couldn't find it. Velvet started to question herself if fighting for the sake of other people was always a good idea, as being a Huntress always meant to help people and make Remnant a more peaceful place. What choices are Diamo willing to do for his partner? What drives Ace to be always ready to help others? At this point, the bunny Faunus never made that kind of questions before.

Only one question kept on her head: Whose sake were they really fighting for?

After so many holes, Velvet sensed a horrible odor coming from one of them. It started to irritate her as the smell kept growing, which make Diamo's attention focused on the source of the said smell. They kept walking, while he was using Velvet as a detector. Was her nose that sensible? She was feeling sick as the closer they were getting to the smell; she stopped and tried to hold herself to do not barf. It was a hit for them.

"There it is…" Diamo gave her a piece of clothing to cover her nose while he was digging a hole. They were feeling the odor getting stronger the deeper the hole was. Velvet was almost crying while Diamo just felt the smell out of the blue. As the clock was still ticking, the sniper stopped using the drill. Moving the dirt aside, they were able to see the mushrooms still humid and slimy. "We got it, at last…" He commented on satisfaction.

"Thank goodness, now we can finally cure Ace!" Velvet was holding a bag and her breath while Diamo put the mushrooms inside of it. "We should go back, as soon as possible."

"Agreed, let's get going." They started walking back to the White Fang camp, or what was left of it. The walk was longer than expected, as the day became darker. For how long they were outside? Their surrounding felt heavier for some reason, as they were being watched. They kept walking without any major obstacle on their way, no Grimm, no Purifier, nothing at all.

They reached the camp, Velvet and Kingston saw both Ace and Karan still on their respective places, asleep. It felt like heartwarming seeing them in a peaceful state. "Well, it looks like they got along pretty well."

"That's Ace for you, always making friends everywhere he goes." Diamo commented while doing small slap on his partner's face, trying to wake him up. "Are you still with us?"

"Oh hey, I'm still in the world of the living?" Ace yawned while opening his eyes, but he was still snoozing off.

"It seems like it…" Velvet commented.

"Okay we go enough chit-chat; I'll start making the real antidote." Diamo took all the ingredients and started to cut them into pieces while mixing it in a beaker. As the sniper used the chemistry kit from his backpack to elaborate carefully and trying to not mix the ingredient at the wrong time or place.

Velvet was checking on Ace's health by touching his forehead, he was hot like a fever. She grabbed some rags and water to put on top of him. "You are not a nurse but you are cute enough to be one, Velvet." Ace was mumbling, as the poison started to make him act more delusional.

"This is isn't good, for how long the antidote will be ready?"

"Don't rush me, Miss Scarlatina. I'm doing my best to make it good in the shortest amount of time." Diamo replied while using his Semblance to make it more precisely.

"Mister, did something happen while we were gone?" Velvet asked the White Fang survivor.

"Not much, he just liked to talk a lot."

"I can already imagine it. Thanks for taking care of him in our absence, Mister."

"Call me Karan, drop the formalities already." His tone felt less hostile than before. "Now, are you still aware of our promise? We are becoming enemies until he is cured, right?"

"Yes, unfortunately…" Velvet replied in disappointment.

"Ace, do you mind some heat on this?" Diamo asked his partner to use his weapon, Ace lifted it sideways while using fire mode from his Semblance. The mixture started to get some bubbles and weird odor which wasn't good neither bad. "Good, keep it for a couple of seconds." The sniper took one of Ace's knives to pour small portions of the venom into the mix.

"99 bottles of beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer. Take one down and pass it around, 98 bottles of beer on the wall.~" Ace was singing, his condition was getting worse as he became a drunk man.

"We are losing him!" Velvet started to feel panic, much to Karan's annoyance.

"Alright, it's almost done. Same process as before." Diamo separated the real antidote between a syringe and a small jar. Velvet gave the jar to Ace, as he was drinking it while doing a sour face due to the antidote's bad flavor. The sniper took the syringe while holding Ace's shoulder where the injury is. "Count of three again…" They were in the same positions as before.

"One…"

Diamo sweated as he was under pressure.

"Two…"

Velvet's ears twitched.

"And…"

"Wait!" Velvet interrupted the process.

"What is it now!? We are running out of time!" Diamo got upset with the bunny Faunus.

"They are coming…"

"What?"

"The Purifiers… are coming." Much to their surprise, Karan left the tent in haste to see their surroundings. He saw torches coming from the woods. They were getting closer to them.

"Shouldn't I ask better timing for this!?" Karan said sarcastically while getting into the rush.

"We need to get out here, now!" Diamo shouted to both Faunus while lifting his partner from the shoulders. "I can't give him the antidote until we are cost clear."

As the voices got louder from outside, some of the Purifiers started to pray while some were throwing Molotov and torches to the camp. The camp got set on fire around, burning slowly while leaving no exit to both Faunus and travelers.

"What are we going to do? We are surrounded in flames!" Velvet was agitated due to the situation. As the front of the tent was blocked by the fire, they had to think quickly a way to escape from there.

"Let me open the path for you." Karan took out his weapon, an unusual large chainsaw, to cut the tent while leaving an open space to leave. Unfortunately, the noise gave away their positions about the escape.

"There they are!" One of the Purifiers pointed to them from a distance. They chased after them.

The group tried to run away farther from them into the woods. In the darkness everyone else, mostly Karan, got a difficult time to see while Velvet was the only one able to guide them. Carrying Ace just made them go slow, as Diamo still needed to inject him with the antidote. They couldn't lose the Purifiers as there were a lot of them. No matter how far the group tried to go away from, they still were able to catch up on their speed.

"This is pointless; we can't carry a half-dead man through the woods!" Karan yelled, feeling anxious and still weak to fight the Purifiers.

"Maybe not us, but you can."

"What the hell are you talking about!?" Karan replied in disbelief with Kingston's comment.

"Tell me you are not suggesting…?" Velvet felt the same way.

"That may sound like a risky move, but I need Mr. Karan and Miss Scarlatina to take Ace somewhere safe while I distract them."

"Are you crazy!? What I'm supposed to do with this guy?"

"Just inject him on the wound with this." Diamo handed over the syringe and passed Ace to Karan's shoulder.

"I'll distract them as well." Velvet volunteered as well.

"No, I can't let you do that, for your own safety." The sniper insisted on not letting her take the risk for them.

"Nah-huh, I want to help Ace much as you do. We might have a chance to drive them away with two people than just leaving you doing all the work." Velvet sounded determined, not really easy for Diamo to convince her otherwise.

"Do whatever you want, bunny. I will keep my word on taking him somewhere safe." Karan didn't object to doing what Kingston asked for. Everyone nodded at each other while taking separated pathways. Velvet climbed and jump between the trees while Diamo went by ground towards where the Purifiers were at. Karan went to the opposite direction, further to the dark woods while carrying Ace by his right shoulder and holding the antidote with the left hand. He kept running away without looking back.

Velvet was getting the most attention between her and Diamo due to being a Faunus. It helped the sniper to counter-attack to use the sniper rifle to shoot some of them from a safe distance. Despite falling like dominoes, the Purifiers' numbers didn't stop increasing. It was hard for Diamo to keep up with their exact positions. Some of those white-robed people returned fire with their crossbows and elemental arrows. Diamo and Velvet had to be careful to do not get hit by any non-Dust incrusted arrows as those might be poisonous like the one Ace got hit by.

Velvet kicked some of the Purifiers out of the way while jumping over their heads. One arrow flew across the woods as she could hear the sound of the crossbow clacking. She dodged in time but something felt wrong for her. One Purifier pulled off an odd whistle from his sleeves and starting to blow it. The whistle didn't make any noise, as it was broken. The truth was, it was a dog whistle.

"AAAAAAAAGH!" Velvet screamed in pain as the dog whistle affected her bunny ears. She stopped while crouching and covering her ears. The frequency was really bad that almost make her ears to bleed. The Purifiers saw the opportunity to trap her and using some ropes to hold her as a prisoner. Diamo noted what they were intending to do, he left his position and his weapon, Predator's Eye, changed from sniper-rifle to spear.

"Get away from her!" Diamo started to fight some of the cult members in close-combat, which in reality wasn't his specialty. He repelled some of the arrows in the other direction as more of the Purifiers used mazes and shields to fight him back. It was getting impossible as it was a lot of them. One Purifier launched bolas to Diamo, caught him off guard. It immobilized Diamo, where he wasn't able to no longer hold his position. The Purifiers started to beat him while he was on his knees, making him lose consciences and finally knocking him down. He was out of combat.

Velvet was still under submission from the dog whistle; one of the cult members punched her in the face. It was an instant Knock-Out for her. Both Diamo and Velvet got captured by the Purifiers, carried like slaves with chains on their necks and wrists. "Hey, where the other two go?" One of the Purifiers asked, noting Ace and Karan were nowhere to be found.

"It doesn't matter, now we already got enough for the ritual of tomorrow. We can't let Master Copper wait anymore."

"You are right, brother. I hope to finally see our 'savior' and bring us the salvation we were working for."

"After tomorrow, Remnant will be safe from Grimm once and for all." The Purifiers were done assaulting, as the flames grew in the White Fang camp. The place fell into ashes, leaving no trace. As the broken moon illuminated their road, the cult walked back to their own camp while carrying torches and crossbows. No one was safe from their presence.

Velvet regained some of her senses back, but it was already too late to do anything. The only thing she could think was about Ace's well-being and her team. She closed her eyes, trying to rest until she could have enough strength to fight back against the cult.


	5. Into the Red Forest V

**Disclaimer: RWBY Characters, places and terminologies with the exception of the Original Characters, belongs to Rooster Teeth Productions.**

* * *

 _Ace, you know sometimes I'm really disappointed in you for not taking things seriously. I've been trying to teach how to be a strong man, but it seems you don't really care despite you have the potential. Why you can't be more like Jack? I know I didn't give you enough attention due to my duties at Atlas, but I'm trying to do my best to keep you safe and grow stronger to survive in this harsh reality. Jack is much of a son like you, but you are still the most important person in my life._

 _For all what is good, understand this Ace: You are what give me hope to keep fighting for a future for both you and Jack. The only time I was proud of you was when you skipped a year from combat school and starting attending Atlas Academy. Despite all, you still think this is a game. It is time to wake up and understand that you can't always avoid conflict with a smile and sweet talk. There will be times when you have to show determination and a clear mind to act without other people around you to tell what to do._

 _Please, I'm asking you not at your Colonel, but as your father. Keep fighting for what you believe is worth for. Don't fight for amusement; fight for the people you think is the best worth to protect for. I'm sure you already know the answer to how much you care for Jack, for your team, and friends. You are much better than what you think, Ace._

* * *

"GAAAAH!" Ace woke up abruptly on top of some blankets and a syringe on his bandaged shoulder. The light-bulb was bothering him since he doesn't know how long was unconscious. He couldn't remember what happened around since he woke up on a dark isolated place instead of a tent from the White Fang camp. Ace's head was spinning, feeling dizzy and looking everything blurry. He tried to stand up, but his legs were still weak as the body felt heavier than usual.

His vision was recovering slowly, as his eyes were moving a lot in different directions to examine his surroundings. He started to notice Karan sitting on a chair, sleeping. Ace took deep breaths while letting his Aura to let him recover himself since the poison worn out from his body. He checked in his pockets to see what he got, it was an arrowhead. He couldn't remember why he kept it in his pocket the same one that pierced his Aura. _'Whatever this thing is made of, I need to find out how they got such thing on their possession.'_ Ace was thinking about it while taking a closer look at it.

Slowly, he tried once more to stand up on his own. He finally was feeling his legs as those touched the ground. Finally able to stand, Ace was not moving to maintain his balance and walk slowly towards his backpack. He was looking for all his belongings, which were a set of knives and his main weapon, 'Friend's Luck' in their respective places. With the silence of the place he noticed something odd about, Velvet and Kingston weren't present.

"Hey, Karan… Where are they?" Ace makes a gentle shake on the Faunus' shoulder waking him up. Karan started to open his eyes with an angry expression as he didn't like to be bothered while sleeping. He was yawning and rubbing his eyes to see clearly due to his poor vision.

"What do you want now?" Karan replied.

"Where are they, my partner and Velvet?" Ace asked with a worried expression on his face.

"I'm sorry…"

"What do you mean you are sorry!?"

"I…I did what they asked me for."

"What... Are... You... Talking about!?"

"They got captured by those lunatics. Your partner and that girl asked me to take you safe while they would distract them long enough to keep you safe." That explanation wasn't really a good thing for Ace to hear about. "I'm sorry but I couldn't help them since you were still unconscious."

"You are joking…" Ace replied in a non-emotional tone. "You are just kidding, right?"

"I wish I was, but that is the truth." Karan tone was filled with regrets, never thought a White Fang member could show some remorse. Ace got his head down, thinking of what to do now that both his partner and Velvet were trapped by those crazy people. He never was a man who could make his own choices since it was easier to let some take the charge unless it was something Ace really wanted.

"So, you don't have an idea where they could be?" Ace was feeling exasperated.

"I don't have the fricking clue where they are."

"Then you don't have anything else on your mind? I mean, where are we anyway?"

"We are in hidden storehouse; the White Fang have so many across Remnant in case of emergencies." Karan pointed out the flag on the wall, while Ace looked around with food and ammo on shelves. Who could ever think to find a place like that? Ace tried to keep looking around, but with the injury being surrounded by bandages on his shoulder started to bother him by of the pain. "You shouldn't move just yet, you barely got recovered."

"You don't have to worry; my Aura should help me heal quickly since I'm not under poison."

"That is something I forgot to ask, like how the hell you got affected by the arrow if you Huntsmen have your Auras to avoid that kind of stuff."

"That is something I'm not so sure yet but is probably they are equipped with some rare metal that ignores Aura. Do you know how troublesome will be in the future if someone has this kind of metal on their hands?" Ace expressed both concern and frustration.

"You know, that is something I noticed about you and your partner examining that thing like you already know about the origins of that metal."

"He did it as well? Then it isn't my imagination." Ace was shocked that arrow was giving him weird vibes. He started to recall something that would help him to understand better the arrowhead. Ace took out his weapon and used it in electric mode, using the blunt side of the knife to touch it. With a small touch, the metal started to glow white and yellow as reacting to the electricity. "That's it!"

"What is it?" Karan asked due how excited he sounded at the reaction of the arrow.

"Sorry I can't tell you what is but I need to tell my partner about this right now!" Ace grabbed necessary ammo and some food from the storehouse to finally leave that place.

"Where the hell are you going!?"

"I need to rescue my friends, I have to go. Thanks for the help and all but I must leave."

"Sorry, but I can't let you leave here." Karan stood in front of the door, blocking the only exit.

"What? Why you don't want me to leave?" Ace expressed with curiosity.

"I must fulfill my promise of taking care of you until you are completely recovered. Even if you did, you are going to risk your life again since those guys are still dangerous. You would make me think that my time of helping you was a waste if you are going to get killed again."

"I will disappoint you then because I'm completely healed."

"Are you aware of what kind of promise I did? I said to them I would become your enemy again if you get completely cured. This means I won't hold myself or take you down and send you to bed again."

"If it is the case, I'm 100% healed." Ace got a determined look in his eyes. He was taking the situation seriously.

"I see…" Karan put his mask while taking out his large chainsaw and did a defensive stance to guard the door. Not letting Ace pass for any circumstance. "Just don't say I didn't warn you about this." He spoke in a deeper voice, almost trying to intimidate Ace.

"No worries…" Ace got his weapon ready on his right hand while holding a regular knife with the left hand on a reverse grip. "If it means saving my friends, then I won't hesitate to rely on violence." Both sides looked at each other with ferocious glares, not moving for a couple of seconds until they started to rush towards each other. Their weapons clashed as the sparks jumped from their blades, blocking the attacks. No matter who wins, it would be a matter of time before things escalate on a destructive level for them. A battle was unleashed inside of that place.

 **Lieutenant of the White Fang:**

 **Karkadann Bane**

"Trying to fight me is pointless, so stop this ridicule act of machismo!" Karan yelled with the entire roar from his chainsaw.

"You wish, I'm not going to stay here doing nothing while my partner and a cute lady are in danger because of my fault!" Ace dodged the big swings as Karan did to maintain the knife-wielding traveler away from the door.

"If you think have the necessary strength to confront those white robe lunatics by yourself, show me you can defeat me and leave this place with all your skills on top." Karan made a vertical swing, almost like he was holding an actual sword. Ace couldn't believe he had to fight in order to leave that place. There wasn't any other way to convince him. The Faunus was fighting aggressively enough to give Ace problems to counter-attack. The reach of Karan's chainsaw was too dangerous for the traveler to even taking the offensive.

Ace changed to Ice mode to shoot projectiles in order to immobilize his opponent, but Karan was able to block and repel some of those attacks. It was difficult for Ace of not finding a good opening to stop the Faunus. More big swings from the chainsaw became more dangerous as how it makes Ace tired quicker than usual. Karan did a charge attack than not only Ace dodged in a matter of seconds, but also the chainsaw pierced the wall and getting stuck in the process. Ace saw as an opportunity and decided to strike Karan from the back. Sadly for Ace, the attack did nothing as the Faunus' skin was thick as regular armor. Karan released his weapon by doing a spinning attack while turning back to Ace.

"You are pretty fast for a heavy guy." Ace commented while jumping around and dodging the chainsaw attacks.

"I already fought a fast opponent like you. It was a Schnee girl to boot." Karan sounded oddly confident about his comment.

"Oh really…? That sounds interesting; maybe you can tell me the rest of the story when I'm done kicking your butt, friend."

" _If_ you can kick my butt, friendo." Karan kept doing large swing around the room that pretty much destroyed some boxes and shelves. It was hard for Ace to fight the White Fang member in a confined space like that storehouse. Ace tried to look around to find a way to leave that place and have some field advantage.

Ace jumped between walls and shelves to keep his distance. He shot on the floor with another ice projectile, making Karan lose his balance and slipped. Ace rushed towards him, trying to do a jumping stab from a fair height into the air.

"Gotcha!" Karan already anticipated the strategy, as he raised his hand and grabbed Ace from the face. The traveler fell into his trap since the Faunus already experienced that kind of tactic before. Karan lifted Ace high enough to smash him against the ground, but the Faunus wasn't expecting that Ace got another trick on his sleeve. The traveler's Aura was glowing yellow with sparks around his whole body, electrocuting Karan. Ace freed himself by using his Semblance, never expecting it would have the same effect on contact.

"Not bad… You really know how to play dirtier than most Huntsmen." Karan complemented Ace for his pragmatic move.

"Thanks, but you didn't see enough of my tricks to take you down." Ace was smirking, really confident of his skill to defeat an opponent who is double his size. The traveler was moving fast enough to disorient his opponent around and unable to react quickly. Ace was the one fighting aggressively now that got the upper hand. He used the elemental properties of his weapon to finally deal damage on the White Fang member. Shooting from all directions at high speed to slow him down with ice on a point which the chainsaw stopped working on how frozen it was.

"Grrr…fine! I was getting tired of using that damn thing." Karan ditched his weapon in order to fight bare-handed. Ace kept using his weapon since it was the only method to stop him than just relying on his Aura. Now the things were on Ace's favor, he would be more cautious with him in hand-to-hand combat. The fight was far from over, as they still got enough stamina to keep fighting while being inside the storehouse.

Ace was doing some slashes and kicks in an acrobatic manner that was hard for Karan to defend himself from the blows. Roundhouse kicks and sweeps were the main tactics for Ace's offensive so could have a clearer picture of a possible opening to use Electric mode to paralyze the Faunus. Karan launched punches and jabs on Ace, but he couldn't even touch him due to the traveler's superhuman speed and reflexes. He grabbed the table to launch at Ace, as he not only dodged but got vulnerable for a counter attack. The Faunus kicked Ace in the face, sending him flying across the room.

On the floor, Ace tried to get on his feet while looking at his opponent. He was cornered without a way to move. Karan charged an attack that most likely will knock out Ace even with his Aura. The Faunus started to charge another rush attack, in position to not let Ace dodge from any side. Karan went full speed towards the traveler, with a pretty dangerous position

"Give it up already!" Karan yelled at full lung to Ace, with an imposing tone.

"I won't!" Ace replied in determination.

"How do you expect to rescue your allies if you can't take this seriously? Life is not a game!"

"I won't change what I think. As long I can have a reason to fight for, I will never stop doing what I enjoy in life!" Ace was already in a defensive stance, extending both arms in taunting way.

The White Fang member was done the charging, rushed against the corner where Ace was trapped. He couldn't see as the attack pretty much blinded him due to so much energy he used. He did a great impact which caused the corner to fall apart. The attack was powerful enough to maybe kill someone regardless of the state of someone's Aura. Despite all that, there was a single problem that costed Karan's victory.

Ace used two normal knives to hang on the ceiling, avoiding the attack and jumping behind of the Faunus' back. The traveler reacted quickly using his Semblance by engulfing himself in electricity with his Aura. Using both thumbs to touch Karan's neck from both sides to shock him and knock him down, finally weakening him enough to withdraw from the fight.

"Not…bad…" Karan complemented while panting and standing on his knees.

"I guess you were right. I wouldn't be able to save my friends if I couldn't take you seriously." Ace grabbed his backpack while heading towards the exit. "Thank you, for the warm-up fight" Ace opened the door, leaving the storehouse whit a smile of satisfaction.

Karan, on the other hand, wasn't angrier, but rather feeling accomplished of knowing he fulfilled his promise and paid his debt with him. He sat on the center of the room, resting to recover his energy in order to think on a plan to fight the Purifiers. He got no regrets of losing the fight.

 **Karkadann Bane: Gracefully Surrendered**

Ace walked into the woods while trying to pinpoint where the White Fang camp was, he assumed it wasn't far from the storehouse. Walking a couple of miles for 30 minutes, Ace saw smoke from a close distance. He began to worry since he started to remember small fragments of what happened last night. As he was getting closer to whatever was left on the camp, Ace was aiming with his weapon while walking slowly around the area.

 _'This doesn't look good.'_ Ace was thinking while looking the place in ashes. He felt anxious about how he lamented about not being able to fight at that moment when the Purifiers arrived. Ace saw some traces from footsteps; those looked if they were doing a march while two long parallel lines kept following them. The most he could think was the cult members carried Diamo and Velvet on a wagon like slaves, probably.

The traveler kept following the traces until those stopped in the middle of the road, with a truck blocking the pathway. He jumped over it and kept following the road despite there weren't any more traces. The idea alone of being dragged by any of those cult members sent shivers to Ace as how terrifying can be for people like them. Granted, they were using much better equipment than bandits by suing Dust and that rare metal for crossbows and possible another kind of weapons at their disposal.

On the middle of the road, Ace saw something on the ground completely torn apart. It was a dream-catcher, the same one what he gave to Velvet on the first night he and Diamo met her.

 _'Mhhh… so I'm going in the right direction, clever lady.'_ Ace chuckled while thinking of how smart of Velvet to drop it on the way to give Ace any lead to their location: Although, it wasn't enough to give a good idea of where the Purifier's camp was. He kept walking but out of the road while hiding among the bushes and trees, hoping to find any patrols on his way. Like a predator hunting his prey, Ace was crawling and rushing from different stops in order to not blow his cover.

"Man, why do we have to explore if today is the ritual?" Ace heard voices coming ahead from his direction.

"Because Master Copper wanted more wood for the bonfire, we can't start the ritual. We aren't the only ones doing the errands you know?" Another Purifier replied to his fellow brother.

"Shut up you two, the faster we are done collecting the wood, the sooner we can return and relax until the ritual starts at night." A third member, probably the one in charge of that small group, berated to them. He looked tough as he was carrying a huge ax with one hand. Ace kept following them while listening to their conversation.

"Yuck… I feel dirty because one of those freaks grabbed me on the mornin' while beggin' for its life."

"No kidding, I couldn't feel bad for them since it's their fault for why this world went to hell."

"No need to get angry since, after tonight, we are going to be free from them."

"You know? Is it me or Master Copper got his eyes fixed on that bunny Faunus after we brought them to the camp?" One of them asked with a curious tone.

"I dunno, they all look the same to me."

"I'm always wondered if they do animal noises if you torture them, maybe I should try it when we come back." The big one commented, he sounded eager despite not being able to see his face trough that masks.

"Oh I want to see it too; shame the human that was with the bunny Faunus can't do any noises."

"Speaking of that human, are you sure is one?"

"Whaddaya mean? Ya think he is not?"

"No, I'm pretty sure he is human. He got no ears, or tail, or skin, or any other animal feature that Faunus tent to have."

"Then why the hell ya brought it up? If he is human, then why asking if he is one or not?"

"I'm not sure, is just that seeing him on the cage with the others felt fitting for some reason."

"Maybe…"

"Who cares, human or Faunus, there is no deny that he supported them, therefore guilty like the rest of them." The big guy interjected well speaking in an upbeat manner.

"AMEN!" The other two agreed in unison. Ace didn't like what he was hearing. They talked about a ritual but couldn't know exactly _what_ kind of ritual or its purpose. It didn't matter for him since his priority was finding his partner and Velvet before the sun goes down.

Ace acted quickly by ambushing one by one. The first one got grabbed from the neck while being electrocuted in the bushes. The second one was grabbed from the tree as Ace was hanging upside down with the legs on the branches. They weren't fully aware of Ace and his stealth skills.

"Why you two are so quiet?" The big one spoke while turning his head to them, only discovering they disappeared out of nowhere. "The hell…!?" He prepared his ax while starting to fell panic. "Alright, I hope you got fun because I don't like it." Ace felt cheery, as he started to make echo sounds like the monster from the movie _Saturday the 14th_.

"Who is there!?" The big one was getting more agitated as he couldn't see anything. He walked backward, thinking he couldn't get surprised on that way. His heart was beating at a faster rate that couldn't have an idea if whatever was chasing them was even human or Grimm. Ace was trying to hold his laugh, enjoying every second of their sense of despair. He felt sadistic by being feed out of their despair, but they couldn't anything more fitting for people like them.

Ace left his hiding spot by standing between a tree and the back of the last Purifier, moving towards him. He was getting closer to Ace, anticipating the biggest scare of his life. "Are you a lumberjack?" Ace asked so innocently that made the Purifier jump in terror and trying to chop with his ax at Ace. Not only the traveler dodged the attack by jumping over him but also making the ax stuck on the tree's trunk. Ace stood over the ax's sideways, taunting the big guy. "Peekaboo!" Ace stomped on the last Purifier's face, getting launched by a few feet away from the tree. He tried to stand up and runway from Ace, but he leaped towards the Purifier and holding him with his blade, pointing at his neck.

"Please mercy!" The Purifier was panicking as he was on the ground with Ace on top of his back.

"Isn't that a funny thing? One of your friends said the same exact story about a Faunus asking the same thing to him." Ace stopped smiling as he just got his weapon on Fire mode.

"What do you want from us!?"

"Two simple things…" Ace's face got closer to the Purifier's ear, whispering in a sadistic manner. "Where is everyone?" Ace got his weapon closer to the Purifier's neck. "And what exactly is that ritual of yours about?"

* * *

Inside of a cell, Velvet woke up with his arms tied on her back. She felt trapped like an animal while looking around her, she saw Kingston on the same cell with bruises on his face. He was on the ground completely unconscious. "Oh, my…what they did to you!?" Velvet was scared and worried about Diamo's state, she couldn't believe what was happening to them.

"Sorry…" Diamo mumbled something, but he wasn't awake.

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry, Dana…" The sniper spoke again.

"Hey, wake up…please." Velvet made gentle shakes on Diamo with her foot. He started to gain conscious.

"Mhh…Dana?" Diamo's sight was blurry, only starting to fully notice Velvet. "Oh, it's you Miss Scarlatina. Sorry, I must confuse you with my sister." He sounded embarrassed.

"It's alright, but why you thought I was your sister?" Velvet asked with doubt. Diamo kept quiet, just looking away while analyzing his surroundings. "Well..?" Velvet got ignored by the sniper. Diamo didn't say a single word as he was looking for a way to escape from the cage.

"Sorry, it's just…bad memories, that all." The sniper replied in an evasive manner.

"Bad memories…? Sorry if I made remember something unpleasant." Velvet apologized to the sniper.

"It's not that, it isn't the first time I got trapped in a cage before." Diamo commented while examining the lock.

"It… it isn't? How so…?"

"Let's say we got trouble with the wrong people back at Mistral." Diamo didn't look happy about it. He checked if he got anything to free himself, but he was handcuffed with both hands on the bars. "Dammit…if only I could have lock picks or something with me."

"Look!" Velvet saw more cages in the same room, full of White Fang members handcuffed as well. It was a horrible scene to see, not even the most discriminating people of Atlas could treat Faunus with such ways. "They are putting us like animals in a zoo, how can be so… _inhumane_?"

"This is worse than I could expect it…we need to think a way to get out of here, now." Diamo whispered to Velvet while shaking the chains, but it only attracted the attention of the guard.

"Shuddup ya! I'm tryin' to sleep…" The Guard who was slacking off yelled at Diamo.

"It's not used, we can't free ourselves." Velvet commented as her handcuffs felt tighter than usual. Someone knocked on the door from outside, annoying the guard.

"…who is bothering me while I'm busy?" The guard stood up while heading to the door. When he opened the door, his expression was full of fear. A man in red robes the room, with a menacing presence. "M-Master Copper! What is this honor to come here, in a place full of filthy creatures?"

"I'm just checking that everything is in good conditions." Their leader turned his head towards Velvet, almost having the sight of a hawk in an unpleasant feeling for her. "I want to inspect on that Faunus first, before starting the ritual of tonight."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to receive rabies or something by touching one of them."

"Are you doubting my authority?" The red-robed leader looked at his subordinate with anger.

"N-No, Master…"

"Good…you can leave the room and get yourself something to eat. I will look at those Faunus for you."

"Yes, Master." The guard left the room with a nervous expression. Whoever the leader was, it never was good news, to begin with. He started to get closer to Velvet in a creepy manner, holding her from the chin between his fingers while examining her face. She couldn't fight back much since she was trapped.

"Tell me something, how many youngsters are so interested in Faunus? What is appealing to them? That is something I never was able to answer the question." The leader started to sniff Velvet's hair, something he could describe her aroma as sweets. "I wouldn't mind knowing that secret for myself." He was whispering on Velvet's bunny ears.

"Get your hands off her, repugnant geezer." Diamo yelled at the Purifier leader, he didn't like how he was treating Velvet.

"Oh? You have something with her that I don't know?" Master Copper raised his hand full of rings, as he started to slap Diamo on the face multiple times. No matter how much he tried to use his Aura to reduce damage, the leader trespasses it with every blow like nothing. The sniper noticed the rings were made of the same kind of metal as the arrow that Ace got hit with back at the camp. "Let me ask you something, why you should care for someone who is not the same kind as you?" He kept hitting Diamo with the same hand full of rings, leaving him with more cuts and bruises. Velvet tried to close her eyes, as she was horrified by that violent scene.

"If you hate so much Faunus, why you would care about being a creep to someone like Velvet?" Diamo replied, making Master Copper even more furious with him. Before the leader could punch him with the closed fist, someone knocked on the door.

"Master, you got an important call on your private room." A cult member called from outside of the room, which made the leader stop hitting Diamo.

"Hmph, I guess I will deal with you later." He accommodated his rings while using a handkerchief to clean his hands full of blood. "I want him to go first on the ritual, serving as an example." The leader pointed to Diamo for his subordinate. He nodded in agreement. Both Purifiers left the room, leaving only the prisoners to talk among themselves. Some of the White Fang members started to comment on how even a human-like Master Copper can be a complete hypocrite and ruthless towards another of his own kind.

"K-Kingston?" Velvet tried to interact with the sniper, as he was losing his senses due to the painful blows he received from the cult leader. "Kingston! Answer me!" Velvet started to cry as she felt so powerless to help her friend. She blamed herself for what happened to him.

"Velvet…" Diamo started to answer the Faunus, barely speaking clear. "This isn't your fault…you can't blame yourself but every bad thing because of who you are…"

"What would you know? You never were classified as a freak in your life! People close to me are suffering because of me. How can you understand that kind of pain my species had to endure it for decades!?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I tell you why." The sniper got his eyes looking away from her, out of shame of himself. "I'm sorry if you have to feel that way." Both stood in silence, hopeless of the situation. There wasn't any way to escape; they couldn't know how Ace was doing. It was just them, unable to do anything to save themselves. It looked at the end for both Velvet and Diamo.

"Excuse me; I will get in if you don't mind." Someone talked outside of the room, he sounded oddly friendly for some reason.

"Who gave you permission to get inside the prison?" The guard from outside started to interrogate that person.

"Master Copper asked me to adjust the chains and handcuffs of the prisoners, just to make sure aren't loose or something."

"If it is true then what is the password?"

"Uuuuh… _you left your bed wet last night._ "

"…" The guard kept quiet for a moment, unamused about the answer. "Alright get in and do it quick. It is almost time for the ritual anyway. Make sure all to give them a good beat down if they cause you any trouble." The guard opened the door, letting another Purifier to get inside of the room and check on the prisoners. He walked funny for some reason.

"Don't get near him." Velvet warned in an angry expression as the Purifier was getting near Diamo.

"Sorry to bother you, I'm just checking if he is still alive for tonight." The cult was checking while putting his hands all over him. "Not looking good huh? Yeah, Copper must be really tough to give you such treatment." He sounded friendly towards them, which was odd compared to any other Purifier they encountered so far. He used some rags and water to clean the blood from Diamo's face, something that made the sniper notice something felt out of place.

"Who…Who are you?" Diamo asked the Purifier, as he couldn't see through his mask. Velvet and Diamo only got little glimpses of his eyes, as those were full of hope. They couldn't believe as they felt a familiar presence.

"Who I am doesn't matter. The only thing you must know is when the night falls; the odds will go in your favor. This is when _Lady Luck_ will help the _King of Diamonds_ and the _Ace of Clubs_ to start a game that no one will never forget." As the Purifier was done talking, he left the room without any more comments. Velvet and Diamo looked at each other with shock as they couldn't believe who came and talked to them.

"Hey, didn't that guy felt…familiar for you?" Velvet asked the sniper, as she was feeling more comfortable with that Purifier.

"Indeed it was…" Diamo heard some metal clanking on his pockets, as he found the ticket for his greatest comeback. He made an odd smirk which made the Faunus notice it immediately.

"Huh, this is the first time I see you smiling in that manner."

"Yeah, I don't smile that often unless something is going better for us." Diamo relaxed by sitting on his cell, waiting patiently for when the ritual begins. "Remember this, Miss Scarlatina. We as Team JAQK always have a motto for every kind of situation when we are ready to gamble for our lives."

"And what is that motto you are talking about?"

 _"We are all in..."_


	6. Into the Red Forest VI

**Disclaimer: RWBY Characters, places and terminologies with the exception of the Original Characters, belongs to Rooster Teeth Productions.**

* * *

On the courtyard at midnight, a lot of cult members gathered around while Velvet, Diamo, and the White Fang prisoners were in line with chains and handcuffs. A huge bonfire illuminated the camp in the middle of the courtyard while the platform was in front of it. There was one cult member with black robes and a huge ax on both hands. A piece of rectangular metal was next to the member on the platform, it was easy to assume that it was the setup. It was a terrifying scene for Velvet and Diamo to see how wrong everything was.

Both of our heroes tried to look around to see where the 'friendly Purifier' was. It was hard to notice him among the crowd since all Purifiers got the same robes and masks. Different sizes and bodies complex that could narrow down, but it wouldn't help anyways. "What do you think is going to happen?" Velvet whispered to the sniper while being on the front line of the prisoners.

"Not a good thing that's for sure," Diamo replied with at low volume, as both of them weren't exactly excited to know what exactly the ritual is.

On top of the platform, their leader used the stair to get up there, walking calmly and composed while all the members looked at him with admiration. He stood firm and ready to give him a speech while the black-robe member stood behind him. The air became heavier as something started to feel oppressed and with a sense of dread. Master Copper cleared his throat and took small sips of his cup of wine. Everyone leaned their head towards him as waiting with anticipation of what he has to say.

"Brothers, Sisters! Thank you all for coming on this special day, one where it will be memorable to all of us…!" His voice was so loud that everything outside of the camp could hear clearly. He kept giving his speech as the members got delighted in their eyes. "…As you may know already, our fathers, mothers, grandparents, and ancestors, all of them lived and experienced the horrors of the Great War were unleashed in Remnant: Hate. Fear. Injustice. Death. All of them were brought to us for the only idea of domination. All those emotions are what created the Grimm, to punish us for all those actions and remind us that we are never going to have a future as long the main source exist in Remnant. I want to ask you all, to know if you learned about the main cause of the Grimm. DO ALL OF YOU KNOW WHAT THE MAIN CAUSE OF THE GRIMM IS!?"

"THE FAUNUS!" All the members yell in unison, determined by their answer.

"AND YOU KNOW HOW ARE WE GOING TO BE FREE OF THE GRIMM!?"

"BY KILLING EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!" The Purifiers replied to their leader, much to the prisoners' fear. Things didn't look for Velvet and Diamo as how they were on their territory, with the chance to die at any moment.

"That's right! All our problems in regard to the Grimm are the Faunus' fault! This is why we are here reunited, to bring our ' _Savior'_ here, to bring down Grimm, Faunus and all sources of negative emotions. He will come and finally take our future back!" The Purifiers were applauding him.

"Bring our Savior, kill all Faunus!" The members were repeating it back and forth, full of joy as they finally were going to live again.

"But that is not all, recent decades people started to get accustomed to the Faunus' presence, thinking it is progress when was the contrary! Vacuo is a good example of letting both humans and Faunus live together, struggling for their survival and the reason it never rains after the Great War. And that's not all; the very same idea of living together in harmony is what led Vale to its fall, getting their own destruction on the hands of the Grimm months ago. Now, do you understand it? The kingdoms that suffered the most are the ones letting those abominations of nature live. Atlas and Mistral are still not ready to fall due to their strict rules against the Faunus."

"Down with those Faunus Sympathizers!"

"That being said, tonight we have a very special guest for the sacrifice…" Master Copper paused to point at Diamo with lights, surrounding him with glares and disgust from the other members. "He is the example of what happened when you want to defend those freaks; this guy betrayed his own kind and now he is here, engaged just like the rest of them. Let this guy lead the example of what happens when you support them." He ordered one of the Purifiers guards to bring Kingston to the platform, walking slowly with the handcuffs and a collar on his neck. The audience jeered at him as he was walking upstairs towards his death. Diamo got the same feeling as his leader Jack got back in Atlas Academy, maybe even worse.

Meanwhile, one of the Purifiers moved among the crowd without bothering anyone. He was getting closer next to where the prisoners were. Velvet heard the footstep coming to her direction with a familiar pattern. She knew that person. "What do you want?" She asked the Purifier.

"Getting ready for the show…" He sneaked a key to Velvet's hands and started to whisper her in a careful manner. "When things start to get agitated, use this thing and lead all the prisoners there." He pointed to a small shack next to the camp's walls. "Try to keep them there until I'm done with my partner, alright?" Velvet nodded at the Purifier's instructions while he kept walking towards the platform. She quickly got into position to use the keys to free herself and the rest of the prisoners.

Once Diamo was next to their leader, he got beat by the Axe-wielding member to be on his knees. With his hand tied and unable to escape, he was approached by the leader with a mocking smile. "Tell me something before you become the first blood of our _Savior,_ how does it feel to be executed like an animal? I bet someone like you never was treated like Faunus with so much hatred."

"Not really, I already know people who got the worst. Seeing you makes the White Fang look like saints, you are a band of phonies." Diamo smiled as well, pretty confident for someone in a position like that.

"Hmph, it doesn't matter now that you shall be sacrificed for the greatest good for Remnant and its future. Now, brother if you please…" Master Copper gave a hand signal to the black-robe member, who moved next to Diamo while aiming his ax at his neck. The audience was getting more excited while Velvet and the rest of the Faunus prisoners were metaphorically on the edge of their seats, anticipating of what is going to happen to the sniper. "Any last words…?" The cult leader asked Diamo.

"Just one, do you like hot or cold?"

"What!?" Down from the platform, someone shot two different elemental projectiles. A fire projectile landed on the leader while the executioner got frozen by the ice projectile, leaving him like an ice sculpture while Diamo got his head down while using the key from his pocket to free himself. The members were in a panic as seeing one of them betraying and jumping into the air to escape from the crowd. From Velvet's side, she was done giving the key to the prisoners so they could fight back the Purifiers with their guard down, none of them got their weapons so it was easy to take them down despite the difference in numbers.

"Traitor! Why would you do that to your brothers and sisters!?" The leader spoke to the one on the top of the platform, only to take off the robes by throwing it to the fire. Much to his amaze, that person wasn't one of his members.

"Yeah, you weren't expecting a Faunus Sympathizer to crash your little party, huh?" Ace was aiming at him while doing a devilish grin, doing his greatest entrance. "Are you alright?" He asked his partner, which he replied with a nod.

"Fool, you think you have the advantage? It's just you two against us!" Master Copper exclaimed in an angry tone.

"I don't think so; you must check your boys more often before you start losing stuff."

"Huh?"

On the courtyard, the White Fang prisoners were fighting some of the Purifiers, while some of them were able to grab the crossbows and other weapons, they couldn't defend themselves by much because there were a lot of cult members. One of the Purifiers shot an arrow to Ace, but he dodged in time while returning fire to him. The leader took advantage of the situation by jumping off the platform and running away for his safety.

"He is getting away!" Diamo yelled while pointing at the leader of the cult.

"Don't seat it. We will deal with him later…" Ace handed over Diamo's weapon. "…For now, how about we bring some noise towards us?" The infiltrator smirked.

"Sure thing, partner…" The sniper got his weapon in spear mode, with the drill spinning at full speed. Both travelers started to fight against the cult with all their strength.

* * *

On Velvet's side, she defends herself while guiding to the appointed place where Ace told her to bring the prisoners somewhere safe and wait for any of instructions. She didn't have her weapons so the only thing to fight was doing kicks and avoiding the cult members while trying to help everyone. The White Fang didn't have much of an issue to fight without weapons but still, they were surrounded. Velvet did her best to keep an eye on all prisoners and not leaving a single one of them behind.

"Where are you taking us?" One prisoner asked Velvet while avoiding conflict.

"Everyone, to the shack!" Velvet replied.

"For what!?"

"I'm not sure yet!" Velvet kept moving and helping to the rest of the prisoners to that place. Once inside of the shack, she started to do a recount if nobody was left outside. So far, 24 White Fang members got there in time, partially unharmed. Velvet tried to calm everyone down as they were trying to hide from the Purifiers while Ace and Kingston were distracting them by fighting the crowd. She was looking through the window to see if any more of them followed the Faunus, but the Purifiers' attention wasn't much of a problem anymore.

"Why the hell are we doing here?" One prisoner asked Velvet in a state of confusion

"I don't know." Velvet replied.

"Y-You don't know? Then why are we doing here?" Another prisoner asked the bunny Faunus

"They told me to come here and keep you safe."

"Who? The humans told you that? Do you think we can trust another human after what happened to us? Are you stupid?"

"Don't call me stupid, and those humans just freed you from those crazy people! Do you think you are in a position to critic them after what they were doing for us!?" Velvet got tired of hearing hypocritical comments from both White Fang and Purifiers. She started to hear someone knocking on the door, slamming in a rushed manner that probably more cult members tried to get inside. "Who is there!?" She yelled to the person from outside.

"Special delivery!" It was Ace being playful as ever, Velvet opened the door to him and Diamo to get inside the shack. The Faunus prisoners weren't so happy to see them. "Sorry if we got carried away for a while, there were some complications."

"What kind of complication?" As soon as Velvet asked, the Purifiers were screaming in terror from outside. Everyone looked confused about why they would behave like that if there weren't dealing with either Ace or Kingston. It was something else attacking them.

"Get away from me, you monsters!" They heard Purifiers telling to Grimm attacking them from outside, they came out of nowhere as hordes were dealing with the cult. One could say it was poetic justice after hearing screaming in terror, with a sensation of vulnerability from them getting invaded on their own home.

"Grimm? Why are those things inside the camp!?" Velvet was lost of how the monster appeared in a matter of a few minutes.

"Oh yeah I forgot to mention something, I brought some friends along the way." Ace sounded so casual about the fact he led Grimm towards them, with the chance of also getting in more danger than the Purifiers. He really loved to live on the extreme with his plans.

"And you think that was a good idea about bringing Grimm to this place? There is no way we can escape alive from here with all prisoners alive."

"Hey, you can't play your hand without your trump card ready." As many aces liked to joke around, as usual, he was serious about it. He walked towards some trunks and footlockers to move them out of the way by revealing a hole, which was hiding right inside the shack. "As you can see, I needed some distraction to bring everyone outside safe. This hole leads a tunnel with a distance of 7 miles away from here on the end of the tunnel. So I would like each one of you goes here and not let get caught."

"And why we would do that because what a human says to us?" A prisoner was skeptical of Ace's orders.

"Hey! If you want to stay here and get capture again by those lunatics, be my guest. I'm giving you all a way out of this forsaken place. Are you going to keep questioning me or are you willing to follow my instructions and go through this hole and get your freedom?" After what Ace was done saying his part, no one from the White Fang complained about him. They started to inside the hole with an organized line, escaping one by one from the place. They moved as fast as they could in order to not let anyone follow them. Velvet and Diamo stayed behind along with Ace to protect the shack until the last of the prisoners escaped.

"That's all of them," Diamo said.

"Good, because I need to leave and lend them a hand..."

"Are you not going to stay with us, Ace?"

"No, because I need to help them where to find their camp and a safe place, I'll be back when I'm done." Ace made an ensured smile to Velvet, saying no to worry about him. "But first I need to discuss something important things with my partner." Ace took out an arrowhead from his pocket. "Partner, do you have any idea what is this?"

"It's _Silverium_!" Diamo replied quickly.

"Exactly!"

"Excuse me but what is 'Silverium'?" Velvet wasn't sure of what they were talking about.

"Silverium, my dear Velvet, it's a rare type of mineral that contains so many natural properties that not only makes stronger than steel itself but also can ignore people's Aura."

"That doesn't sound good…" Velvet didn't like how things were going.

"It isn't, me and Ace knew about this mineral because is the same kind of what Jack's is made of. We still don't know how they got this thing on their hands but we must interrogate Copper about it!"

"Jack's? Are you referring to his weapon?" Velvet asked.

"Sure, his weapon..." Ace replied bluntly. "One more thing before I leave." Ace handed over a backpack and a case, which contained Velvet's weapon. However, something wasn't good for Ace. "Sorry Velvet, when I got to the armory to retrieve everyone's weapons, someone broke it into pieces." Velvet looked sad as how much effort she put to make something like that.

"No… how I'm going to fight without my weapon?" Ace and Diamo looked at each other, as both of them got the same idea.

"Velvet, you told me something about your Semblance before, that you can copy other people's fighting styles, isn't that right?" Ace asked the bunny Faunus.

"Yes, I did before you got hit by an arrow, why?" That being said, Ace pulled out one of his regular knives while Diamo grabbed his regular pistol. The travelers gave their respective weapons to Velvet. "If you can copy styles, then you can use any weapon to fight on your own." Ace gave the thumbs up to her.

"Are you sure about it? Don't you need them to fight as well?"

"No, Ace has pretty much a collection with him most of the time and I barely use that pistol," Diamo replied. "We are sure you are a lot stronger than some people may think of, we are entrusting you with those so you can help me in the meantime." Velvet nodded, as she finally was in synchronization with both travelers.

"Alright, now that we are all set you two should go to Copper's house in that camp and find him. If you can find any useful archives or evidence about the culprits, that would be nice too. I'll be back soon and be careful." Ace jumped to the hole and proceeds to help the prisoners to reach a safe place, leaving only Velvet and Diamo on the shack. They headed outside and go straight to find Copper while fighting and ignoring some Grimm on the way.

On the camp, the house was the only one that looked nice enough when you compared it to the shacks or another kind of structures. Copper lived like a king while the other members were in poverty and happy with their blind faith. It felt personal for Velvet and Diamo to assault him for how he acted on the camp's prison. Some of the Purifiers tried to get their weapons from the armory, but they couldn't open the door as something was stuck from the other side. Incapable to fight, most if not all the alive Purifiers escaped from the camp, while others did not survive the Grimm attack. It was the greatest opportunity for them to confront Copper without interference from his subordinates.

They were standing in front of the two-story house. Trying to open the door, Diamo used the drill from his spear to pierce the doorknob and being able to get inside. The house was dark without any illumination that only Velvet was able to see in the darkness while aiming with the regular pistol on her right hand. They walked slowly while inspecting the first floor, with the living room and kitchen in an ordered manner. There were some devices and machines that only someone from a city could own. Expected from a former scientist, he couldn't live in a place like Forever Fall without modern technology to make his life a luxury.

The second door was something that caught Velvet and Diamo's interest, as there were a lot of paperwork and maps. Velvet saw a map from Forever Fall with scratches and circles about some settlements from the area. Samsara was marked as prohibited because they could be allowed to get there. The second mark of interest was something Velvet knew all along. It was Tint Hills.

"Hey, look at this!" Velvet called Diamo to see the map, as she was pointing out with small footnotes about search and destroy. "So it was them, the one behind the attacks from Tint Hills."

"What makes you think it was really them?" Diamo asked.

"Because Tint Hills is a place where they got a lot of Faunus and humans living together, no doubt my team couldn't get any clues since the attacks were undetected. People assumed bandits but they liked to make destruction, those were more subtle. And I finally discovered why there weren't any White Fang reports on Forever Fall, all of them were captured by this cult." Velvet got an epiphany.

"That solves one problem then…"

"In a way, I kind of knew it was them but I wasn't sure until I finally saw the concrete evidence."

"And you finally made your homework, Faunus." A voice from the room spoke with a voice filter. "It was necessary to make sure there were no more of them to endanger us." He was sitting on the bottom of the room while being surrounded by darkness. Velvet could see him but something felt odd with his appearance as he looked bulkier than usual.

"Give it up, Copper. You don't have any other place to run." Diamo aimed at him with his sniper rifle.

"No, but I don't need to. I have everything I always wanted. Power, followers, immunity; I became someone who is untouchable for society. People now do what I say, and you want to know why? I'm the one with the authority before the end of the Remnant. I am the prophet and my job is to purify those lands so our Savior can help us to finally have a new future, a new genesis for all of us."

"For what? Killing humans and Faunus alike, taking us as slaves and animals in a zoo? This is your idea of salvation? Why you hate Faunus so much to want us dead?"

"Hate? No, no ,no ,no ,no… I don't hate Faunus, in fact, is the contrary."

"What!?" Both Velvet and Diamo exclaimed in shock.

"You see, I'm giving all a reason, a cause to fight. They need something to keep them alive while living in this place in ruins. Without it, they are just waiting until the end of the days finally comes. As a prophet, my job is to give them hope until we finally get our new future. That is what I'm fighting for!"

"No, you are an impostor and tyrant. I knew people like you in Atlas and Mistral, be glad that one of my teammates is not here with us to hear all those fallacies and punch you the in the face." Diamo counter-argued while thinking certain brute from his own team.

"Fallacies, you called me a liar? After from what I'm doing to save Remnant and waiting for our Savior you called me a liar? If it is what you think about me, then I'll have to execute you two by myself." His voice became deeper and distorted.

"Good luck with that, because we are going to stop you right here, right now." Velvet was aiming with the pistol while taking a defensive stance with the knife on her left hand.

"You won't…" A noise started to sound coming from him, it was bad news for them. A light was shot from Copper's left hand that sent both Velvet and Diamo flying out of the house from the windows of the second floor. The leader wasn't so unarmed after all. Velvet landed on her feet due to her agility while Diamo was on the ground on his knees while holding his weapon as support. They heard clanks coming from the house like a robot walking with the only mission to stalk and kill. Copper came through the front door of the house, with the camp's bonfire to illuminate him from all angles.

He was holding a strange gun on his left hand while wielding a large sword on his right hand. His bloody red robes covered him completely as he stopped looking like a human for our heroes. Much to Velvet's fears, he was the very image of a fairy-tale monster on the hunt, something that started to worry Diamo as that kind of technology and weapons made of Silverium would make Copper a dangerous opponent to defeat.

"Velvet, whatever you do, try to not kill him as we still need to interrogate about everything," Diamo warned Velvet while she was behind his back. He was protecting the Faunus with his own life despite that wasn't the way he works as he always protects everyone's backs.

"Don't worry; I'll make sure he doesn't suffer…too much." Velvet was also getting ready to fight the cult leader.

"Oh, I will pray for your souls, hoping you will finally find peace in the afterlife." Copper charged towards them with his sword, trying to slice them vertically together. Both dodged the attack by separating and going by opposite directions. Diamo fought first by engaging in close combat with his spear, doing swings but Copper blocked them with his sword. Velvet tried to shoot the leader by the limbs to immobilize but none of the bullets affected him, only making holes on his robe. What kind of armor was he wearing under the robes?

Diamo noted what Velvet tried, so he wasn't afraid to use the drill to strike Copper directly with it. He moved out of the way with Velvet leaping to the cult leader, taking Kingston's place to fight him directly while he transformed his weapon into a sniper rifle to attack from a safe distance. He used his Semblance to aim at Copper's head and shoot him in a non-lethal way. He was in position while taking a deep breath, fire his weapon on the marked spot.

He failed the shot. The bullet bounced and landed somewhere else. Copper was bulletproof and unstoppable since they finally noticed he was using full armor, using the robe to cover his weak-points and blind-spots. "It is no use; we can't get him as long he is using those robes." Velvet commented while getting tired of fighting him.

"Then let's make him take it off," Diamo said while rushing towards him with his spear, making him step back while Copper was defending himself. Velvet knew what kind of plan the sniper got, so she rushed as well by shooting and slashing by jumping around. Despite they weren't doing any damage to Copper, he kept stepping back towards the bonfire. Copper didn't notice until it was already too late, as Velvet jumped and doing a double kick that launched to the cult leader to the center of the courtyard. He started to get angry by how they tried to do.

"Enough! If this is how you want to play then I will send all of you to hell!" He took the burning robes off him, revealing he was wearing a knight armor made of Silverium as it was reacting by glowing red with flames around.

 **Grand Prophet and Leader of the Purifiers:**

 **Master Copper**


	7. Into the Red Forest VII

**Disclaimer: RWBY Characters, places and terminologies with the exception of the Original Characters, belongs to Rooster Teeth Productions.**

* * *

"Keep your distance away from him; I will fight while you look for a way to destroy his armor," Diamo told to Velvet while he kept shooting with his sniper rifle at Copper.

"Understood!" Velvet jumped and dodged their opponent's attacks. He was using energy cannon on his gun in his left hand. They were trying to attack him by surrounding him in the center, but his defenses were impenetrable that felt useless no matter what kind of attack they threw at him. Copper used his sword from his right hand to do huge swings at them I anyone tried to get closer to him. His armor still was glowing red by the effects of _Silverium_ making contact with fire, making him temporally untouchable.

Diamo was trying to analyze him from all angles while still avoiding the energy projectiles. Copper was pretty dangerous as he couldn't stop fighting, it was like one of the tanks from Atlas. Velvet leaped to the cult leader by trying to strike some little gaps between the armor plates. She jumped and took the high ground by standing on the platform while shooting with the pistol. The bullets kept bouncing off due to the armor's strong resistance against anything. Copper returned fire to Velvet but she was fast enough to avoid them, he rushed towards the platform and started to destroy the supports to tear down and make the bunny Faunus falls.

"Come here, you pest!" Copper tried to slice Velvet in the air, but Diamo shot to the cult leader's hand to make him drop the sword. Velvet reacted quickly and kicked him on the head to disorient him. She used the knife to cut the belts that were holding on the leg armor. Those fell while revealing he was using some sort of chainmail of the same material.

Copper's movement was pretty slow due to the armor. Leg movement got pretty faster as he lost some armor from the lower part of the body, still not vulnerable enough. He kept shooting and slashing with both weapons. Velvet and Diamo were struggling to take Copper down. "Tag!" Diamo extended his hand to switch places with the bunny Faunus to fight the cult leader at close range. She grabbed his hand and launched Diamo to the air while aiming his spear towards Copper, performing the "Dragoon Jump" technique. Using gravity as his only way to gain enough momentum to pierce the armor with the drill, the sniper was doing a pretty strong grip and got enough height to fall at full speed, enough power for a single impact. Unfortunately, Copper blocked the attack by crossing both sword and gun, doing a counter that used the knee to hit the sniper on the stomach.

"GAAAH!" He suffered a lot of damage as he was wide open and not even able to cover himself from the attack. As Copper grabbed him from the back and tried to launch him to the fire, sending him flying. Velvet reacted and jumped to catch him in the air while landing on the safe ground. Copper aimed at them, easy targets to use the energy cannon. He unleashed a full blast at them, but Velvet took one of Diamo's metal plates from his backpack to block the attack, barely surviving it.

They got on their feet faster and ran in opposite directions. The sniper rushed to the cult leader and attacking with his spear, he pierced the ground to use his weapon as a pole fixed to the ground. That way he could dodge the attacks easier while disorienting him while Velvet saw the chance to attack from the back. She jumped towards him, and she got on top of the opponent while trying to cut some belts that were attaching the helmet. Copper tried to take her off him, as he grabbed her leg and smashed Velvet against the ground. He tried to do a down thrust but the Faunus rolled sideways and kicked his face.

The sniper swung his spear to hit Copper's nape, finally dealing some damage to him but he would start to become more cautious around him. He was getting exhausted from the fight, as he couldn't hold both of them by himself. "Don't think I'm done yet, rascals." He holstered his sword to favor the gun as he did want either of them to get close to him. He started to shoot at them as he was furious and not caring to aim properly. Velvet and Diamo had to take cover around the camp and hiding.

"This is bad; he won't let us get near as long he keeps using that gun." The sniper commented while peaking.

"What are we going to do? If that weapon is made of Silverium, we can't destroy it that easily. "Isn't another way force him to ditch it?" Velvet asked Diamo in a rather loud tone. He had to put some thought as tried to analyze the weapon by looking at it. So far he could tell was the strange light that was peeping between shots. Copper pulled a lever every time he stopped firing it. The sniper noticed it as some sort of cooldown mechanism. "I may have a plan, but it would require to keep him fire it," Diamo explained while feeling unsure about the plan.

"Alright, I will distract him while you try to not let him pull the lever." Velvet left the cover and start rushing towards Copper, as he smirked by shooting at the Faunus. She tried to run in circles to make some time and make him unsuspicious of Diamo's plan. The cult leader kept shooting at Velvet from random direction until the light started beeping. Copper stopped in order to pull the lever, but the sniper shot the lever by breaking it, unable to cool down the weapon.

The gun was getting overcharged by the stuck energy, forcing Copper to throw it at the sniper. When the gun was doing high-pitched noises, it exploded with a pretty large blast radius. Diamo got away from it and stood next to Velvet while looking at the cult leader, upset about how things went.

"Grrrr… There's no forgiveness for you on the new future…" Copper took out his sword by holding with both hands. "…The Savior won't have mercy on you." He was on guard, ready to fight them with all his strength.

"You can keep your forgiveness because we won't have mercy on you either." Velvet was pretty angry with him, something that Diamo didn't expect to see another side of her.

"I suggest you surrender, or we will make sure you don't go out of this alive." Everyone rushed towards each other. Copper did a long horizontal swing that Velvet jumped above of him while Diamo did a dodge roll under him. The Faunus parried the attacks as to how hard to defend with a big sword. She was able to avoid those slow and predictable blows as the sniper attacked the arms. The armor from the arms started to fall off from the cult leader, only leaving the chest as the last piece of armor. With no more weight to slow him down; his sword got separated into two pieces. He was dual-wielding as he was much faster to attack and defend himself from his enemies.

For an old man, he was pretty agile and gave problems in the fight. He slashed from left to right while parrying Kingston's spear attacks and Velvet's shots. The sniper switched Predator's Eye mode back and forth as he was trying to fight Copper with all his skills. Due to the speed of the cult leader, Diamo used his Semblance to avoid the slashed with more frequency, but it started to tire his eyes. Copper had the advantage as he caught Diamo's guard down by doing some cuts to his hands, making him drop his weapon.

"Crap…!" He kneeled in pain as he was unable to fight. Copper took the opportunity to stab him but he was interrupted by Velvet who stood in front of Diamo. She blocked the swords attack with a knife while using the pistol to shoot the cult leader on the chest. Despite not doing damage, she made him step back and have enough space to get Kingston somewhere safe. "Don't do this, you can't do it alone." He told the Faunus out of concern.

"You don't have to worry about me…" She gave the pistol back to Kingston while she grabbed Predator's Eye. "…I will finish that hypocrite off and help you to get your answers." She was determined to stop Copper by herself, no longer afraid. Velvet was facing him, with fire on her eyes as to how much her race had to suffer from that kind of people on her life. No more people to fight for her, she was ready to finally deal with discrimination of Faunus with her own power.

"So you want to face me alone? You have no idea, bunny." Copper was really eager to make her suffer.

"I'm tired of let other people speak for me, it is my turn now to fight for others." She took a stance with the spear pointing at him. "Don't underestimate me." Copper charged towards while she stayed on the same place, waiting for him to do the first strike. She blocked the attacks as he kept doing fast swings his swords, but she learned Copper's pattern. It was easy to predict his movements as she was looking for another way to destroy the chest armor.

Copper was spinning while extending his swords, an orthodox method but good to not get blind-spotted by the Faunus. She did a slide while changing the weapon to sniper rifle by shooting at his hands, making him drop them. She mounted on his shoulders, using the knife to cut the last couple of belts from the chest piece. He was completely vulnerable, unarmed and unprotected. It wasn't enough for Velvet. She threw Diamo's weapon back to him, as she started to land kicks to the cult leader.

He was losing consciousness and getting a lot of bruises on his face. Copper tried to fight back with punches but Velvet dodged like it was nothing, she jumped and stomped his head until it hit the ground. That was brutal for Copper to fight Velvet, as he kept receiving damage from her.

"You... can't escape... destiny…" The cult leader was on his knees, coughing uncontrollably while looking at the Faunus on the eyes.

"It is not you who can dictates who lives or not." Velvet did a roundhouse kick that sent Copper to the front gate of the camp. Out of fear, he started crawling and opening the gate to escape, but he wasn't expecting another surprise.

"Eeeeh, what's up, Doc? Going somewhere?" Ace was on his way, pushing him back inside the camp. Velvet, Diamo, and Ace were cornering him towards the bonfire. Ace aimed at Copper with 'Friend's Luck' in Fire mode. He wouldn't hesitate to burn him if he doesn't cooperate with the group. "Nowhere to hide or someone to help you: Better speak before I make you a human torch."

"What exactly you want from me…?" Copper was getting out of breath.

"About the people you worked for…" Ace was getting his knife close to the cult leader. "You were working for Merlot Industries; tell us anything you know about them."

"Why you care about them?"

"The 'why' do not concern you. Tell us who those guys are!"

"They are gone…"

"What!?" The travelers replied out of annoyance.

"Merlot Industries were destroyed on Mountain Glenn years ago" Copper snickered. " You damn fools. You are chasing a ghost from a long lost past. If you thought Atlas Division Group was still around, not anymore. Whoever is in charge now, you are just going in circles as it is impossible to find the remaining scientists, as all of them are dead. You would be lucky if you find any alive after so many years." Copper was mocking the group.

"So what? You may still know something about them, for example: How did you get this Silverium on your hands!?"

"Simple, it was a gift from our _Savior._ " The group was frowning in disbelief.

"Tch, again with that…? You are really a delusional person, you know that?" Diamo commented, much to his disappointment.

"I was a non-believer like you; you may think I got all that before leaving Merlot Industries, but no. I saw the Savior who gave me that power and I'm using it until he returns for _The End_. You may think he is not real, but he really is: He has eyes full with fire and vengeance, a body which no mortal is allowed to touch him, and a power to destroy Grimm in a matter of seconds without flinching. He is _The Savior of Remnant_!" He was a lost cause, no longer a sane man.

Ace and Diamo were looking at each other, upset that he won't able to tell anything useful as he thinks his 'savior' will help him. Unbelievable that such a hideous person could exist, and there are worse criminals in this world. There was no law to make him pay for his actions until Ace come up with an idea.

"Hey partner, can you tell me what would be the distance between the camp and that waterfall from the east?" Ace asked Diamo.

"Around…6 or 7 yards, probably. Why asking though?"

"I want to make a bet with you."

"No thanks, you always win every time we bet. It is not a good time anyways…"

"No, no, I think it is a good time. You didn't hear yet what kind of bet I'm proposing yet."

"I'm all ears." Diamo started to pay attention to Ace, interested what he had to say.

"I bet you that this crazy old man can surpass the 7 yards before the Grimm could have even the chance to catch him." That leaves Diamo and Velvet with the eyes wide open, almost a madness to leave Copper by his own luck. Despite that, the sniper grinned with a malicious smile.

"I see… and what is the reward if any of us win?"

"I will come up with something later, but for now, don't you want to test it?" Ace could stop smiling, as he really was enjoying the moment.

"If that's the case, I'm betting you he can't even surpass the 6 yards."

"Hey Velvet, don't you want to bet as well?"

"No, I'll just watch for now. You two can start already…" She refused politely.

"Alrighty then, now those clothes off!" Ace and Diamo grabbed Copper and took off his clothes by changing him with some rags that he kept on the shack. They attached some flares and lights around him in a way he can't take them off. Ace dragged him and threw him outside of the gate, with still some Grimm roaming the area. Those monsters saw the cult leader and started to chase him down. The group was on the second floor of the camp's house to see if he was running away from the Grimm. Diamo used his sniper rifle while Ace and Velvet shared the binoculars to witness how far Copper will reach the waterfall before he stops and got eaten.

"2…3 is getting tired; I think I will win this time," Diamo commented in a joking manner.

"Hold your horses, he catching up speed." Ace saw Copper still running. Despite the dangerous terrain, the cult leader was able to avoid the Beowulves pretty good.

Copper kept running as he jumped between rocks, with despair on his back. His fear attracted more Grimm around the area and their numbers of pursuers won't have time for a break. The sniper stopped smiling as how Copper was getting closer to the waterfall. "5…6…and is over 7 yards already. I won the bet again." Ace commented with a huge smile on his face, as he wanted a laugh at how the powerful leader of a cult was trying to survive on the wildness.

 **Master Copper: Pathetically Running Away for His Life.**

"Well, it looks like we are done with this place; take any archives or important papers from the house while I go back to the armory and take some Silverium for us. We can't let any other person use such a dangerous mineral for any reason." Velvet gave back Ace's knife while he walked downstairs and leaving the house. "When you are done here, go to the closest hill outside of the camp. Wait for me there for the little surprise for you." He yelled from outside to them.

Diamo took some boxes with papers and tried to roll the documents to fit in his backpack. Velvet helped around as well while looking at some photos of some scientists, Copper was in the picture along with other two older people. One got like a robotic eye and arm while the other had a huge beard. They didn't look happy about standing next to each other.

"Did you found something?" Diamo asked as he was almost done the packing.

"Nothing, just a picture." Velvet showed it to the sniper, as he was looking closely about every single person that appeared. Besides Copper, those two scientists on the center of it looked important for some reason.

"I will keep it if you don't mind." Diamo grabbed the picture and saved it in his pocket. They were done with the house and leave the camp to go to the appointed place to wait for Ace. They got too much stuff within them and leave the camp. There weren't any Purifiers around and the Grimm kept focusing on Copper from the distance. The woods felt safe for the moment, as they climbed the hill and waited for Ace to come and give the surprise he promised them.

"So what are we going to do now?" Velvet asked the sniper.

"Well first, we are going to take you back to Samsara. Then maybe go and continue with our trip to help Jack." Diamo said as he was contemplating the shattered moon in the sky.

"So it is over huh? When I checked the map, I noticed that we are not far from Samsara. I think we will arrive there for the morning." Velvet commented while paying attention to the woods. "I guess I will try to find a place to contact my team and maybe hoping to come and get your supplies for your trip." Velvet started to see something climbing the hill, it was Ace.

"Sorry for taking too long, but I was making sure no Silverium was left on the camp, and doing the last touches for the surprise. Hope you get ready to be amazing." Ace gave what appeared a detonator for some explosives. "Do you want to make the honors, Velvet?" He handed over the detonator to the bunny Faunus. She grabbed it and started to count three with her fingers. Diamo started to cover his eyes as it may blind him while Ace covered his mouth to hold his laugh for the moment. Velvet did the same thing by covering her bunny ears as the explosion might be too loud for her. She pressed the button.

*KABOOM*

The camp got engulfed in flames as a fireworks factory exploded. The view was one hell of a show as Forever Fall, and maybe Remnant will be free from the Purifiers for a long time. "Huh, the explosion was bigger than expected." Ace started to make a little victory dance, much to Velvet's confusion.

"Ace… what do you mean by 'bigger than expected'?" Diamo raised an eyebrow.

"I had to improvise, as I was trying to recall how to make explosives."

"Making explosives? I thought Quinn refused to teach you how to make them or even get near them."

"He did, but I had to learn it by reading his book of _The Anarchist Cookbook_ when we were at Atlas Academy." Diamo shook his head.

" _The Anarchist Cookbook…_? I thought that was banned on several kingdoms and cities around Remnant." Velvet commented about it.

"Wait a minute, 'his book'…? Quinn doesn't like to share his belongings to anyone."

"He doesn't…I took it without his permission as I thought it was a regular cookbook. You would be surprised what kind of explosives you can learn from it." Ace said it as how appropriate was for his laidback attitude.

"Well, I can say it _blows your mind_ , huh?" Diamo's joke made Ace facepalm of how bad it was, Velvet didn't mind on the very at least as she chuckled. "What? You always make jokes all the time…was it a bad time?"

"No it wasn't a bad time, but I just don't like puns, alright?" Ace took out a map while pinpointing the direction they must take. "Anyways, we must go to Samsara before breakfast."

"Sure thing, lead the way," Diamo commented as he and Velvet followed Ace to the road, as they shouldn't have any more obstacles to reach the main city of the area. They kept walking while doing small talks to light the mood and getting their friendship closer. They started to see the lights as the night of autumn was almost over.

* * *

The sun finally came out after a rough night, and the group was walking on the civilized streets surrounded by sunlight. Shops and restaurants were opening for business hours. They started to feel hunger as they noticed they didn't eat anything for a whole day. Ace and Diamo looked worried as they didn't have enough Lien to pay a meal. Velvet offered to pay the breakfast as it was all she could do for them at the moment. Kingston tried to be modest and refuse the offer but she insisted, both travelers sat and ordered something good and simple.

"Alright, while we wait for the food, I will go and make contact my team. Excuse me for the moment…" Velvet left the table and went to find some public Scroll, leaving only Ace and his partner to talk among themselves.

"Okay, so…what are we going to say to my bro Jack? We couldn't get good answers as those archives and Silverium may not be good enough evidence to fight those guys." Ace got a worried expression as they failed to accomplish their mission.

"Not so sure, I'm reading some of those documents and most of them don't seem useful. Most names got crossed out or else." Diamo commented while taking out papers from his backpack.

"I mean, at least we got Silverium and destroyed the rest of it, but I hate to go and see my bro with the empty hands."

"I know how you feel it, but we did the must could get from this place. The only thing we can hope for the moment is to go to Mistral and reunite with him, Lucy and Quinn and talk about our next move. We might get some luck if Quinn is able to get clues at Atlas because we are wanted for being an accomplice to that incident." Diamo grabbed his glasses and started to clean them, much to show his frustration. "I can't believe that brute went back there, fully knowing that he may get arrested and ruin this mission." He sighed.

"You don't have to call it a mission, partner. We are no longer Huntsmen in training. And yeah, it may not look like the smartest move on Quinn's part, but we know him very well. He might be crazy but not stupid."

"What do you mean?"

"Look from this angle, he maybe got a good reason to come back but we are sure that won't be easy for him. Also good thing Jack is only wanted in Atlas and Vale, Mistral should be good for now to hide until we get everything to find the culprits."

"I just hope he doesn't make things worse for us."

"And you criticize me for calling crazy to my awesome plans."

"Let's be honest, your plans sometimes go beyond expectations." Both travelers laughed about their talk while taking their drinks. After exploring the Forever Fall for a week really helped them to understand better at each other. It was a rare occurrence to finally relax and enjoy a nice meal and talk while goofing around. The food went to the table and Velvet was still busy calling, they must be worried sick about her. They kept talking until Ace started thinking of what happened back at the Purifier's camp.

"Hey, it may not be important, but do you have any idea of what Copper was referring to that 'Savior' of his?" Ace was had a lot of questions wondering around his head.

"To be honest, I couldn't tell you. It is weird for a scientist to be converted or something."

"But he said the Silverium was a gift from him. I think it will be a major problem for us if we don't find who it was."

"I guess that is another question to look for, it will be hard to investigate until we go to talk about it with our leader." Both travelers took another sip as to how upset they were. The only answers they got from Copper's mouth were nothing but preaching a blind faith.

"That aside, what are we going to do with Velvet? We have to take her back to her team and get our supplies. I feel sad as we know we have to part our ways from her."

"That is something we must. We can't let more people get involved in this. I think is for their safety to let them go and doing their job as Huntsmen." Diamo acted as it was more professionalism between him and Velvet.

"I suppose, I don't her to go with us either. Still, I wished we could get more time to talk in peace with Grimm, or a crazy cult going after us without a single break." Ace commented as he knew there was going to be a goodbye after eating their breakfast. Diamo looked at his partner pretty sad, not knowing what could light his mood again. Velvet came back and sat as she finally smelled the food. She looked at the travelers with long faces.

"Is there something wrong, guys?" Velvet asked them.

"Nothing, just starving… So how was your call? Did they answer?" Ace replied.

"Yeah they are fine; you wouldn't imagine how the reaction of my leader Coco after receiving my call was." Velvet said it humorously, as she felt the relief of how good was to hear them again.

"That is good to hear. I suppose we will wait here until they come to Samsara and reunite."

"Actually, I wanted to ask for one last favor."

"What kind of favor?" Ace's eyes got filled with curiosity.

"Well…" She looked at her knees with embarrassment. "I wouldn't mind if you can accompany me to Tint Hills since they are pretty busy to even come here." The travelers looked at each other with surprise.

"We will gladly take you there." Surprisingly, it wasn't Ace who said that but Diamo as he was agreed to help Velvet.

"Seriously? It will take 30 minutes by train and one hour by walking to there."

"Are you sure about it, partner?" Ace was shocked to hear the sniper act that way.

"Yeah, to be honest, I never traveled on the train before, so I wouldn't mind to accompany her for a bit longer," Diamo said it as Ace was thinking that almost out of character for him.

"Thank you so much! I will pay for the tickets too, I promise." Velvet was happy while Ace raised an eyebrow. "Now, let's dig in!" They started to eat their breakfast. It was a pleasant morning as they kept talking funny stories about their respective teams and their misadventures. One of those was Ace trying to sneak around and smuggled some of their favorite drinks from the kitchen to their rooms in the middle of the night. The funny part was he got stuck on the air vents all night as something blocked the exit. Velvet burst into the laugh of how ridiculous was the story.

After done eating, they went to the station to buy tickets and ride the train to travel to Tint Hills. The interior looked nice but it was mostly deserted as not many people take the train to that route. Ace was looking at the windows and admiring the views of Forever Fall while Diamo and Velvet were asleep since they didn't get enough rest from the previous day. The infiltrator smiled at them, of how peaceful those two looked. _'It must be tough to be a Faunus in this world.'_ Ace was thinking while reflecting on their deceased friend Argent, just by looking at them.

He took out his green bandana from his backpack and wore it on his head, as he almost forgot that he carried it since the beginning. _'Man, I thought I lost this thing for so long.'_ He felt at home as the bandana was a gift from Jack when they began to attend Atlas Academy in their first year. Ace wished things were like used to be, before start living as fugitives and trying to save the person who calls him as his brother from another mother.

The ride on the train was reaching its destination, Ace started to wake them up as they were getting closer to their stop. They took their backpacks and left the train as they began to walk the road towards Tint Hills. The walk was peaceful as well, as there was no Grimm on the way to bother the group until the end of the road. They weren't much to talk between them since they already were out of topics. _'I wonder how they will feel when they see me again.'_ After so many obstacles and hardships to get Velvet back, they finally reached Tint Hills safe and sound.

"VELVET!" A lady with a beret and shades run towards the bunny Faunus, with joy on her face along with other two men following her. They hugged Velvet, with tears in their eyes.


	8. Into the Red Forest VIII

**Disclaimer: RWBY Characters, places and terminologies with the exception of the Original Characters, belongs to Rooster Teeth Productions.**

* * *

"I'm so glad you're safe!" The lady with shades was hugging Velvet really tight.

"Me too…Coco please…could you release…please?" The Faunus was getting out of breath.

"Come on Coco that is enough." The big guy tried to separate between her those two girls.

"No…I won't let her go ever again." Coco replied.

"I know we all missed Velvet too, but you are suffocating her, Coco." The darkened skinned member tried to reason with his leader, as she started to notice how her partner was out of breathing.

"Oh my, sorry for that…" Coco finally released the Faunus, as she took deep breaths. She started to notice Ace and Diamo, as they were standing there looking with smiles that little warm reunion. "So who are those men escorting you?"

Ace walked towards Coco and tried to kiss her hand. "Greetings my lady, my name is…Ugh!" He got interrupted as the charismatic leader hit him in the stomach with her purse.

"Personal space, would you? I was asking Velvet."

"Sorry, the one with glasses is Kingston Diamo and the one with the green bandana is his partner, Ace Clover. They are the ones who helped me to get back here." Velvet was done introducing them.

"Did they do any indecent things to you, Velvy?" Coco asked with a joking tone.

"Coco, stop…No they didn't."

"Oh…" The leader hit Ace on the head with her purse again.

"Owww! What was that for!?" The infiltrator was holding his head while crouching in pain.

"You got the chance and missed it."

"You…wait what? You hit me…because I missed a chance with Velvet?" Ace looked rather surprised for Coco's reason.

"Yeah…" The leader said it bluntly.

"…" Ace got silent for a moment to analyze the moment. "Alright, I see the logic of it."

"Anyways, sorry to bother your talk, aren't you going to present your team, Velvet?" Diamo spoke as he saw the other teammates.

"Oh yeah, she is my partner, Coco Andel, she is the leader of team CFVY. Those guys are like my brothers for me, Yatsuhashi Daichi and Fox Alistar." The guys waved the hands to them.

"Yo." Yatsu greeted in a casual manner.

"Nice to meet you." Fox said as well.

"So Velvet, do you mind to explain me with full detail about the people behind the attacks?" Coco asked to them, as she recalled the conversation she had with Velvet on her Scroll back in Samsara. Velvet agreed and between she and Diamo started to tell the whole story about the Purifiers and the White Fang. Ace wanted to tell his share but the others interrupted him as he tends to exaggerate with the stories. Team CFVY got horrified expression for hearing the things the Purifiers intended to do with the prisoners and what kind of treatment they got. Even if the prisoners were from the White Fang, it was still horrible things to someone.

They went to a small house from Tint Hills to continue the talk. They were living there temporally to protect the settlement until they were done. The place felt cozy according to Diamo as he used to be at that kind of living. They kept talking while omitting the important problems in regards Jack and everything else.

"That is crazy…" Yatsuhashi commented about the problems with the Purifiers.

"It is, as we never thought that there would be humans to go on that kind of extremes," Fox commented too.

"It is no longer a problem since we dealt with their leader. I'm sure there won't be any more attacks." Velvet explained as she felt safe inside the house.

"What makes you sure they won't come back and seek revenge? You said there were a lot of members from that cult." Coco pointed out as things might not be good enough to relax.

"She might have a point, we let a lot of them escape and not sure if they survived or not." Diamo also wasn't sure if it was over.

"Oh come on why you can't just let it go and stretch the muscles? Those guys won't ever dare to go against us ever again after how we left them homeless. I wished you were there to see the show too." Ace was lying on the sofa while feeling comfortable.

"If you say so…" Coco was looking at those two travelers, as she could sense that they weren't ordinary people. "…Tell me, what's your story?"

"Us? Not much to say as we found Velvet on the river while camping."

"Uh-huh…" Coco was sitting while having some suspicious of them. "Are you sure you aren't Huntsmen? You looked pretty prepared for simple wanderers." Diamo and Ace exchange looks as they felt under pressure.

"Well…" Before the sniper could say anything, someone was knocking on the door. Fox opened the door to see who it was.

"Hey, sorry if I was interrupting something but we may have a problem on the gates." There was a man standing with fear as he was in a hurry.

"Is Grimm bothering you again?" Coco replied to the man.

"No, there some people with some weird white robes outside of here, do you know them?" Everyone looked at each other as they picked up their weapons started to see what appeared not the end of a war. Diamo went to the roofs along with Velvet and Fox while Coco, Yatsuhashi, and Ace were standing right behind the gates while Coco went outside with her weapon ready. Things didn't look for them as they had no idea how to deal with them. Good thing the rest of the Purifiers were to the other side of the bridge as they can get close to Tint Hills' gates. One Purifier took a megaphone from his fellow member and started to speak through it.

 _"Sinners of Tint Hills, I require your full attention as we have important things to deal with you!"_

"What kind of important stuff are you talking about?" Coco spoke from a safe distance.

 _"We know two men and a bunny Faunus are hiding here, with other sinners on that place."_

"They've been following us?" Velvet whispered to her allies.

"What you want with them, exactly?"

 _"We want them to pay for what they did to our home and our master!"_ Diamo was aiming to the outside of the gates, having a clear shot in case things got messy. _"Now, if you hand them over to us, we are going to leave you in peace and forgive this place for keeping Faunus live here."_ No one from Tint Hills believed their lies. Coco was definitely not let anyone racist to hurt her partner under any circumstance.

"Yeah, I have a counter-offer for you…" The leader of team CFVY shot to the hats of the cult members with her weapon, just to scare them off. "…I say, why not take your sorry asses back to the woods and leave my friends and these people in peace!" Her team was laughing about what she did moments ago.

"Mad negotiations skills as ever, Coco…" Fox complimented her.

" _If it is what you think, then the talk is over!"_ The Purifier threw the megaphone to aside of the road while started to order everyone else around.

"Hmph, good luck as those guys don't even have any weapons." Ace commented in a mocking tone. Tempting fate, those people in white robes were bringing some sort of catapult on the road, with rocks and other kinds of projectiles to destroy the gates. "Are they serious!? A fricking catapult…? I'm getting tired of dealing with those guys." The feeling was mutual for Velvet and Diamo as well.

The cult started to charge the weapon while some tried to cross bring some ladders to get over the gate. It was an invasion since there were a lot of them. The Huntsmen and travelers tried to repel them off, but it was difficult as some succeed to trespass the gates and fight inside.

Group A (Ace, Coco, and Yatsuhashi) fought outside of the gates while Group B (Velvet, Diamo, and Fox) defended the town as they maintained the settlers and their families safe from danger. It was rather chaotic despite they no longer had weapons made of Silverium. The Purifiers swarmed like rats as they kept sneaking through the gates, something that started to annoy team CFVY. Group B was dealing to protect the civilians, Velvet escorted some while Fox fought some of the cult members. The sniper took double turns as he had to shoot to both in and outside of the gates.

"And this how you had to deal all the time?" Yatsuhashi asked the infiltrator while fighting.

"You got lucky those lunatics didn't get their arsenal with them..." Ace replied as he was casually talking while kicking cult butts. "…Although, the catapult is new to me."

"We need to destroy that thing, the walls and gates won't resist any longer," Coco yelled at everyone as she focused on hitting the enemies with her purse.

"There are so many of them: how can we stop the catapult if they even can't let us go far!?" Fox said while he grabbed one Purifier from the ground and threw against others, taking them down.

From a distance, some Purifiers started to fight in the woods. They were holding their positions as they were trying to save their lives. Our heroes noticed that something else was dealing with the cult as they were busy protecting the town. It was a surprise since they were receiving unexpected help away from Tint Hills and Purifiers stopped coming to there.

"What is going on?" Fox asked as he went outside along with Velvet and Diamo to watch from the horizon.

"I don't know, is it the Grimm?" Yatsuhashi asked while Ace grabbed his binoculars to see what was happening. He started to laugh maniacally. "What's so funny?"

"I guess the Calvary came…" Ace passed the binoculars to everyone else while Diamo was smiling as he looked through his sniper rifle. Team CFVY except Velvet was surprised at who was fighting the cult.

"You gotta be kidding me…" Yatsuhashi commented as he saw the White Fang flag from the distance.

Two hate groups, two types of people that really hate each other started to unleash a complete battle on the woods where no one could get disturbed. As Ace saw a recognizable face leading the attack, the people of Tint Hills were impacted as how the White Fang not only was fighting but defending the town too. They started to destroy the catapult piece by piece as the Lieutenant of the White Fang used his chainsaw to tear it apart, destroying the Purifiers' last weapon. As they fight continued, they drove them off with as the cult was getting defeated by the radical group. With the fear of them, they started to run away with some White Fans soldiers chasing them.

Only a handful of them, including their Lieutenant, started to walk towards town's bridge with their hands on the air. Everyone looked confused as to how weird it was for them to act so civilized towards humans. Ace, Diamo, and Velvet left the gates to go with them and make sure everything was good for everyone. Velvet told her team to put their weapons down, to assure them that everything was alright with the Faunus group.

Karan stopped in the middle of the bridge and took off his mask as Ace was walking towards him. They looked at each other to their eyes, filled with mutual respect. "I didn't expect to come and help us." Ace complemented as he was happy to see the Lieutenant.

"Helping you? Don't get the wrong idea; the White Fang does not care about you or that town."

"Then what was all that with those lunatics back there?" Ace was smiling with joy.

"That was a way to pay my debt with you for freeing my people on their camp. This doesn't mean I'm already friends with you..." Karan started to look at the families of Tint Hills, with both humans and Faunus children holding their hands. "…But I must admit, when you left the storehouse I started to get funny thoughts about why I joined the White Fang in the first place."

"And what exactly you were thinking, Karan?"

"Not much, just a dream when I was young. I don't know if it will become a reality someday."

"I'm sure whatever your dream is; you would need to work for it first."

"Indeed, I will have to." The Lieutenant turned his back and walked towards his fellow White Fang members, to go back to the woods.

"Hold on just for a moment…!" They stopped as Ace called them out. "…what are going to do now? Because they burned your camp and all…"

"First we are going to hunt every single Purifier alive in Forever Fall, and then we'll come back to HQ and tell that this area is no longer safe for us." Karan grabbed his mask and wore it back. "Remember this, human. One day our paths will cross someday, stay alive for then when it happens." Ace nodded without saying a word. The Lieutenant focused his sight on the road again, never looking back as he and his group continued to chase after the remaining Purifiers.

Everyone was amazed by how Ace handled the situation, talking to a White Fang as they were friends. It wasn't a surprise for Velvet and Diamo since they already experienced that. Coco lowered her shades with shock as she never expected something like that to happen. "That was pretty cool of you handsome guy, how did you make someone like him your friend?"

"Nothing special… is just the kind of effect I do on people I meet." Ace said casually as Team CFVY was impressed about it. They were out of words and happy that men like him and Diamo were good people since they helped Velvet and managed to protect the town.

Coco was fully convinced as those two travelers were cool, but got the feeling of seeing them somewhere else. As she remembered, Velvet promised them to give some supplies and ammo for bringing her back. The leader ordered to the male members to bring everything from the house. They offered some Lien for helping with the investigation of the attacks, initially, Diamo refused the offer but Ace insisted to keep it since they will need for the long trip.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay a little longer with us? We could use some help around."

"We would like to, but we have other important plans right now, at which we must travel and reunite with our friends at Mistral," Diamo replied in a polite manner, as always.

"Really…? I'm sure Ace would like to stay." Velvet said

"The settlers will make us a feast for protecting their home." Yatsu commented.

"That sounds good, but we have a long trip and nothing can't stop this invincible duo." Ace gave quite a rushing attitude.

'At least someone is still with enough energies to keep talking.' Out of the blue, both travelers heard Fox's voice inside their heads.

"Woah! Your Semblance is reading minds!?' Ace said with shock and amaze.

'More like talking without moving my mouth.'

"Well, I guess you trust us enough to show your Semblance without hesitating." Diamo commented while wondering on the combat appliance for such ability. "In any case, we must go."

"We don't mind if you two hang around here." Coco said.

"Nah, I'm agreed with my partner too. The next time I see you, cool lady, I would like to go somewhere fun with you and Velvet." Ace winked one eye at Coco, she lowered her shades by giving him an unamused glare. Everyone rolled their eyes to how ridiculous they were. "Oh, I almost forgot something…" Ace was reaching on his pockets to find something important to give Velvet back. "…I think you dropped this." He gave her the dream-catcher back.

"Thank you so much. I guess this is a promise for us right?"

"Yes, a promise to us." Diamo smiled at how they finally become closer. Ace felt a little jealous but not that it bothering him anyway.

Velvet started to kiss on the cheeks of those two travelers before leaving Tint Hills. "I wish you good luck, and hope to meet your team someday." She whispered in their ears, as they nodded to the Faunus. As the gates were opening, they crossed the bridge while everyone waved their hands while saying goodbye. It was quite an adventure, but the mission wasn't done yet.

While walking on the road back to the train station and prepare for the trip for Mistral, Ace was thinking something that was bothering back in Samsara. "Hey partner, do you remember the bet I did with you last night?"

"Yes, I do… What you have in mind exactly?" Diamo was curious about what Ace got in mind.

"I just want you to answer me one single question. What made you change of mind about go with Velvet and bring her here? Don't tell me you got some affection towards her." Ace smirked.

"Maybe… it was just to humor you." Diamo smiled as he tried to not laugh.

"Yeah right, if you ever have questions about good pick up lines, don't forget I'm always here for you." Ace said it as they were walking towards to the west, hoping their teammates are fine.

To be continued, on _Out of the Cold Rock_ …


	9. Out of the Cold Rock

**Disclaimer: RWBY Characters, places and terminologies with the exception of the Original Characters, belongs to Rooster Teeth Productions.**

* * *

The Fall of Beacon marked the beginning of the problems on the other kingdoms of Remnant. While the inhabitants of Vale suffered the most, the reputation of the military forces in Atlas went 180 degrees from the most reliable to the most dangerous and untrusty people after Atlesian robots became controlled and destroyed everything on sight. That kind of humiliation drove James Ironwood, General of Atlas Army and Headmaster of Atlas Academy; too huge levels of stress that people started to think he might be going crazy and paranoiac.

On the Atlas Prison of maximum security where they kept the most dangerous criminals in Remnant to prosecute and reform, Neopolitan was already trapped in there for months after she went flying during the Fall of Beacon in a fight. As she got caught and threw on the prison by Atlas military as she was Roman's Torchwick partner in crime. Life felt solitary for her since she couldn't get any information about Roman or his whereabouts.

She was sitting on while drinking tea on her personalized cell along with other dangerous and crazy criminals as the security became more agitated than usual. She heard rumors about a new prisoner coming to be part of the collection of bad guys from murders to criminal masterminds. This prisoner was none of that, as Neo kept listening to the rumors about this dangerous person.

"Open the door, prisoner 678 coming!" The security guard called to another as they were escorting that criminal to his cell. The prisoner was pretty tall and muscular with red-orange paint on his face, two scars on the left side of his jaw, and shaved head. He was transported on some sort of hand truck with chains on him attached. The guards threw him inside of another cell, right in front of Neo. The chains were detached with control remote and he stretched his limbs.

"Now, General Ironwood wants to talk with you later, better get your sleep before he comes." The guards left the area as the prisoner started to lie on his bunk without saying a word.

Neo observed him in a way that he looked average compared to the rest of the inmates in the prison. Another prisoner next to him tried to knock to his wall as trying to call him.

"Yo, are you awake?" The prisoner next to 678 tried to get his attention, but the other one didn't respond. "Hey, are you awake?" He knocked again, much to 678's annoyance. "Yo man are you…?"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Prisoner 678 yell at him, he got angry pretty fast. "I'm trying to sleep, what do you want?"

"What you did? I mean, what was the reason you got here?"

"Who cares? Just shut your mouth and let me sleep already…" 678 tried to get comfortable in his place, Neo kept observing the show as she was drinking her tea.

"Why the General wants to see you? I'm pretty curious about what you…"

"ENOUGH!" He jumped from his bunk while looking at the wall. "Look… buddy, I'm not in the mood to make some chit-chat with anyone. I was freezing outside hours ago and I didn't get enough sleep. If you want to conserve your tongue, I suggest you shut your fricking mouth and LET ME SLEEP!" He turned his head as he saw Neo laughing at the scene. "What are you looking at?" He said as he went back to sleep, not wanting anyone to disturb him again.

The other prisoner stops talking while dealing with his own business, Neo kept looking as something caught her interest from 678. Whatever Ironwood wanted with him, which must be something important. Neo was done with her tea as she started to play some classical music with her own music player right inside her cell. The music was pretty loud as it can be heard from any other cell on the same floor. That started to bother 678 as he couldn't sleep due to the music.

Neo was sitting while containing her laugh while looking at 678's cell. Watching what his reaction will be since looked the kind of person to easily break apart. He was getting more irritated as he kept listening to the music; Neo turned the volume up gradually as the notes were getting stronger and louder. 678 left his bunk while looking at Neo from the other side of the hall with the face of a madman.

"You, could you turn that damn thing off?" Despite his request, she kept increasing the volume of the music. "Are you doing that on purpose? You are pretty lucky I'm stuck here because I would destroy that thing." He grabbed his pillow to cover his ears and getting back to his bunk. "By the way, your taste in music is trash. Sanserif was never good if you could play Bogart or Caruso that would be much better than that thing is playing right now." He started to refer different musicians from classical music, much to Neo's surprise.

"Prisoner 678, you have a special visit." The guard spoke through the speaker as he let a really tall man with a military uniform and other two bodyguard soldiers waiting on the hall. Someone grabbed a chair to let him sit in front of 678's cell, as he looked pretty strict. The prisoner didn't even bother to sit properly or look at his eyes.

"Hello, Heartstone… how are you going lately?" The man spoke, but 678 didn't respond. "I always imagined you would end this way if you kept acting like that." He still didn't get any answer from him.

"Hey! Say something when the General is asking you!" One of his bodyguards knocked to the cell with an upset attitude.

"It's alright; don't expect a troublemaker like him to act. I'm sure nobody liked him at home."

"Save the mind games for yourself 'Tinman,' because if you are waiting for me to talk or something you are wasting your time." He was behaving rudely to the General.

"Getting to the point as always, then let me ask you something. Where are your teammates, Heartstone? More importantly, where is your leader?" Ironwood dropped the friendly tone as he started asking the prisoner.

"I got your two answers: You get _nada_ and zero. Not satisfied? Good…"

"Why you have to make things complicated for you? You know you will be labeled as an accomplice for trying to cover his crimes."

"Hmph, like he ever gets some respect from any person in whole Atlas. You know very well what kind of person he is and yet you still think he is guilty." The prisoner stood as how mad was about the General was trash talking about his leader. "Tell me something bucket-head; if you were in his shoes you would do everything necessary to clear your own damn name. But since you are not being treated like the lowest thing in life, you don't care who is and if it was true or not."

"I'm demanding justice!"

"You are demanding results! You know he was one of the most prominent students in Atlas Academy as he accomplished missions perfectly, he got the highest grades and yet because of one little thing he didn't do still think he deserves it." He started to lie on his bunk again, as only showing his back to the General. "Now if you excuse me, General. I won't go back to sleep since you are so inept to even get the real culprit."

"Fine then, I have to attend to a party to the Schnee Manor anyways. I will be back soon." The Ironwood left the prison area along with his bodyguards.

Neo's curiosity grew for each second as this person being called 'Heartstone' was being interrogated by the General himself, as the other prisoners started to murmur and commenting about this new popularity from fresh meat. She looked around if there was a way to attract Heartstone's attention, as she grabbed a pencil and started to tap against the glass from her cell. "…. .." She kept tapping the same pattern while waiting for his reaction. "…. .." The noise was making Heartstone's blood to boil.

"Why is nobody letting me sleep already…!?" He sat on his bunk while looking at Neo. "*sigh* what do you want now!?"

"…. .. .. - -. . -" The prisoner got confused as he couldn't understand why she didn't talk like a normal person. The taps started to make sense as he listened carefully. (Hi I'm Neo) She was speaking on Morse code.

"Oh yeah? I don't care…" He turned his back as he was trying to sleep.

(I know a way out) She tapped on the glass.

"Good look with that." He replied while still trying to ignore her.

(Don't you want to escape too?)

"No…" He said it bluntly.

(Why not…?)

"Does it matter? I'm not going anywhere at the moment."

(But don't you want to help your leader?) Neo's 'comment' really annoyed him.

"Look, I don't know how much you heard from 'Major Metal-Head' moments ago, but let me make this clear that is none of your business alright? I'm not going to leave this place just yet. If you have such hurry to leave, then do it without me because I won't risk my life for you, or the guy next to me, or anyone in this fricking prison. So that being said, LET ME GET MY GODDAMN SLEEP!" Everyone went quiet around, as for how easy was to get him angry with everything. Of course, Neo noticed that he was new so there was a process to make him understand pretty quickly.

(Well, good luck with your date) She tapped once more as she decided to play her music again.

"Date…? What the hell are you talking about?" As he was unaware of the situation, the guard called him to put stand up and put his hand on the glass. As more guards came and put some chains around him to take him. "Where the hell are we going?" He asked as they were moving him away from his cell. Neo kept smiling as she knew where they were taking him. She decided to grab a book as waiting for something to happen.

He was being carried to a room with some machine and bed with leather straps around. Heartstone already got the idea of what was all about. He saw an old man with a medical coat and a harmonic smile. "Hello, I'm Doctor Zinc, your warden, and psychiatrist from this place."

"And should I feel honored to meet you in person? Because I'm definitely not in the slightest…"

"Ho, you look like someone from interest." He took some Scroll to check information about the prisoner, redacting to make sure if it is the right. "From what I'm surprised to see, Mr. Quinn Heartstone, you are a pretty peculiar case I haven't seen since months ago. Not self-control, disobedience from authority, desertion, anger issues, and my favorite being a total vagrant."

"Oh, you forgot about 'hating everyone here' thing too." He commented as he was being put on the table, being unable to move.

"Don't worry; I'll make sure to fix all those problems." The warden dragged a machine across the room. The prisoner saw the kind of equipment he had and its purpose.

"Can't you be a bit more original? Therapy of electro-shocks is such a cliché nowadays." He couldn't stop opening his mouth as they were putting some weird headgear with a cable around. "Also, you are wasting your time as my Semblance won't let you do any progress on me, Doc."

"It seems someone didn't explain you a few things when you came here." The doctor was pointing out the collar which the prisoner was already wearing it. "You may not know this thing but it will nullify the Aura from anyone, therefore unable to let you use your Semblance. Isn't it magnificent the technology from Atlas?"

"Meh…" The prisoner didn't care for whatever the doctor was talking about.

"Not impressed? How can't you see the advancements of what this kingdom has accomplished in recent years? Don't you think this kind of technology can change people's lives?"

"Blah blah blah, I get it already! Man, I thought Ace never shuts up with his never stopping mouth."

"Such unrespectful man, now I'm getting rather mad with you. You may think this is such a passé, but it always works no matter the time we live in. Allow me to give you a little demonstration." He turned on the machine and adjusted it to level 3, making the prisoner to getting electrocuted to his head.

"GHHHHHHH…!" Quinn tried to contain the pain from the machine, he felt like it wasn't level 3 due to how painful the charge was.

"Now convinced?" The doctor said it with the lips up and doing a mocking tone.

"You have to do something better than that! It barely makes me tickled." He felt pretty exhausted, yet he couldn't stop running his mouth.

"If it is what you wish…" He increased the level to 6; Quinn started screaming in pain as the rest of the prisoners were able to hear it. Meanwhile, Neo increased the volume of her music to cover the screams while reading her book. The music was playing Caruso with the piano notes getting faster along with the singer reaching a more pitched note. The place started to get some loose lights due to the effects of the machine as it consumed a lot of electricity, minus well provoke a blackout if it is possible.

It was already two hours since Quinn got inside that room for the therapy. He was getting tired and almost unable to speak. "What? Out of words already…?" The prisoner didn't reply or even paid attention to what the warrant asked him. "See? I told you this therapy always works. Now you won't need to say anything that would make me upset with you. That's all for today." He asked the other guards to release him and take him back to his cell. They didn't need to carry him or else since he wasn't able to stand on his own feet. Neo saw him as many surprises as he was able to endure for so long than any other prisoner present.

Quinn was on his bed, finally sleeping as he couldn't move or yell. Neo decided to turn off the music and let him in peace since it was lights out for everyone. She decided to wait for tomorrow and see how things would go for him on his first day on the prison. She closed her eyes, as feeling tire of how many exciting things came on the same day.

* * *

 _What are you doing here? Stop following me you little brat. Go away already! I told you to stop following me. What the…? What did they do to you? Can't talk? That sounds rough. Are you not angry what I did to them? Now I'm surprised to meet a little girl like you._

 _What is your name? Neopolitan? Huh… I guess I will just call you Neo. You don't have a home to come back anyway, right? I will just teach everything I know if you want to survive in this world. There are certain rules you must follow first. Break any of them and life will break you. First, you can't go around in rags, as this business demands image and class. Let me get a tailor for you._

 _No no no! Those are clown clothes; you can't wear something like that in public. Also, you have to carry something with you all the time. I suggest you use something refined and easy to blend in. Huh? Something like me? I don't know since you must have your own original style, maybe something appropriate for a girl. After we are done getting your clothes, we must start with your training. Don't disappoint me to on this, Neo._

* * *

"Alright rise and shine you scum!" The guard woke up the prisoners early in the morning as he was hitting a bucket with a stick, which made a lot of noise. Neo opened her eyes and saw everyone except Quinn leaving their cells. They were forming as they checked if everything was in order. The guard saw Quinn still not out of bed, as they opened his cell and started to smack him with his baton. "Get up 678; this is not a five-star hotel." The prisoner was slowly getting up, as he was still weak from last night 'therapy' due to not being able to recover himself with his Aura.

Quinn got on his line, as the prisoners were divided between them and the less dangerous ones. They had to wake up earlier and start with the routine for the day, there wasn't a separation between male and female prisoners. It never was necessary for them since they acted like sheep, much to Quinn's disgust. One of the prisoners got his one fixed on both Quinn and Neo like something was bothering him about those two.

They were walking to the dining room, where they got in line to get their breakfast. The food was bland as Quinn recognized the taste as it was the same thing Atlas Academy served for all students. _'How appropriate…'_ Quinn was thinking as he tasted the food. He was sitting on the corner alone, as he didn't want to interact with anyone. One of the prisoners sat next to him, much to Quinn's distaste. "Hello, neighbor…" The prisoner extended his hand to greet him. "…I'm prisoner 677, or Inky if you like it. And you?"

"Nonya…"

"Nonya?" Inky replied to much his confusion.

"None of your business." Quinn didn't like the company of him or anyone else.

"Sorry, maybe we started with the wrong leg."

"I don't know you, but someone forced me to go with the right one, but still didn't make my day anyway." He was checking the food if there wasn't any hair or something.

"So yesterday you got what everyone calls 'Shocking Massage' for two hours, which sounds like a new record in this place."

"Oh great, my first night and already accomplished something, that is SO refreshing to hear." Quinn didn't like how he had to endure the charges from that time.

"I'm not exaggerating; you are the third person to get the longest time to deal with that."

"Really? And who are the losers from previous records?"

"Him…" Inky pointed with his finger with the guy who he was looking at Quinn earlier. "…and her." They focused their sight at Neo; Quinn didn't expect a chick of that size was able to endure the same. "Also that guy, I think he doesn't like you at all. His name is Bones and is pretty dangerous."

"Oh is he? I didn't know that to be honest." The big guy rolled his eyes as to how obvious things were.

"I know I'm not the best for the conversations, but I'm still curious why Ironwood would want to see you personally."

"Look, I appreciate all the info and all, but I'm not here to befriends or anything. And I don't want you to be on my problems alright?" Quinn tried to continue eating his breakfast; Inky tried the same as the talk became sour. As for how the place felt noisy, the dirty looking guy called himself 'Bones' left his seat and walked towards where Quinn was eating. Neo was observing the prisoners further om the different table as she was eating like it was a formal dinner.

Bones was getting closer to Quinn as he was furious for something. "You…" He was talking to the big guy.

"What?"

"I don't like you."

"Well, I'm not surprised, because you are interrupting my breakfast." Quinn tried to ignore him, but Bones threw his food aside and falling to the floor. "Oh great, you want to act like a bully or something? I felt there is nothing original about this place anyways."

Bones closed his hand to make a fist and throwing the first punch to Quinn's face. Bad news for him, Quinn was unamused of that approach. The big guy countered by punching Bones' elbow to almost breaking his arm. Quinn threw another punch to by doing an uppercut to the hostile prisoner's chin. It was clear that no matter where he goes; there was always trouble for the big guy. The rest of the prisoners arranged the tables in a circle around those two. A fight began on the dining room.

 **Prisoner 674 and Complete Douche** **:**

 **Bones**

Quinn engaged in combat with Bones, as he started to doing kicks and using capoeira while the big guy dodged the attacks and used boxing to deliver hard punches. It was much a fighting much than a prison brawl as both fighters already trained on their respective styles. Bones was pretty fast for Quinn, but that would stop from countering him and brutally grab him and destroy his kneecaps. Bones resisted some of the blows but knew that getting near him was dangerous enough.

Quinn had to guard and observing his pattern, as he knew his opponent was definitely not a simple thug. The kicks he launched to Quinn as he had to block and even punch them back by applying simple physics: no matter from where the big guy was getting attacked, he will always deliver a stronger strike back to break his legs. Bones was grasping a little about his way of thinking, as he started to go fa or a submission and grabbing Quinn to doing power bombs.

The big guy didn't expect to switch styles, making him go for the defensive approach and trying to counter-attack. The moment Bones stopped the punches with his palms, Quinn literally used his head to do a head-butt on his opponent's nose, breaking it in the process. It was getting exhausting as both of them couldn't use their Auras. No matter what they did to each other, it looked like the fight would never end.

"Alright, the show is over." The warrant interrupted the fight as two guards shot paralyzing bullets to both of them, separating from each other. The fight didn't last long enough, which made Neo get bored quickly. "Take them to their cells for therapy." The warrant ordered while looking around as the other prisoners were in fear of him.

 **Bones: Unfinished Business and Seeking Revenge**

Neo was look eating at everything while never leaving her seat. Much to her amusement, things won't end well if she doesn't escape as soon as possible. Everyone returned to their cells while Quinn was already on the bed from the therapy room, getting his electro-shocks already in the morning. He started to think the place worse than a simple prison, more like an asylum since he was surrounded by crazy people like himself. Everything he does or goes just became sore eyes for him. _'I'm getting really tired of this place, not even Atlas Academy was such a hellhole already.'_

After 40 minutes of torture, he was thrown back to his cell with at least not as bad as before. He was trying to stand up but his shoulders felt heavier than usual. Despite everything happening to him lately, he still refused to leave the prison. Neo was looking at him; out of shame for as for how stupid that prisoner was by not considering her offer. She started to tap against the glass to make sure if he is still alive.

(Enjoying the stay?)

"Yeah keep laughing at me; it was still nothing compared to what I endured before." He sounded pretty confident of himself.

(Are you sure about it?)

"About what…?"

(Not escaping.)

"I told you already, I have no plans to leave this place." Quinn was giving his back to Neo, like not wanting to talk anymore.

"Prisoner 678, you have a visit." The guard spoke through the speaker, with General Ironwood returning once with his bodyguards. They get into their places like the previous night, with him using the chair while trying to speak with Quinn.

"Hello, again Heartstone. How are you doing now?" The General tried to the friendly approach again.

"Much better than dealing with your rules, that is for sure."

"Really? I heard you got into a fight on your first day. I have to say I wouldn't be surprised that you asked for trouble so soon."

"Well for your information 'Loose Screw,' the guy started to fight, I was trying to enjoy my breakfast."

"Well don't expect to be the last time the more you stay here."

"So what exactly you have on mind? That sounds like I don't really this place anyways."

"I can help you to leave this place sooner if you cooperate with me and tell where the rest of your teammates are," General asked straight up without any more subtlety.

"Oh really than let me tell you something." He tried to stand up as he put his hand against the wall to maintain his balance. "With all respect General, you can bite me because I can be a lot of things but not a fricking weasel like the rest of the military. Now just leave me alone." He got back to his bunk, leaving Ironwood without any more question.

"Very well, you can stay here and get rotten in this place. I was expecting much better of you, Heartstone." He grabbed the chair to put it back in his place.

"No, you never did."

Before moving on he got closer to the glass to say one last thing to Quinn. "Just to give you some info in case you are planning to escape from this prison, I will close Atlas' borders."

"And why you are telling that?"

"I fear there is the biggest threat coming to us, and I won't let any person get in or out of this kingdom as long that threat is out there, somewhere."

"So that is true those rumors about your paranoia, and I thought the greatest and almighty General was such a just and composed man. Well, it really shows how desperate you are right now. Are you done? Because today felt like a long day for me, enjoy being protected by those walls filled with snobs and high-class pricks in this forsaken kingdom." General left the place, leaving with the rest of the prisoners talking about the possible shut down in Atlas.

Quinn was lying in his bunk again, thinking about the idea of the walls closing. He was in a race against the clock since he still needs to accomplish something important and return with his teammates. If he doesn't do that before the shutdown, he won't be able to save his leader. Thinking about different possibilities, he understood that his chances of escaping alone were zero.

"Hey what did the General say to you again?"

"Shut up Inky, I'm trying to think of something important right now." He looked at his surroundings, as he remembered something about the girl from his front cell offered to him. He tried to tap the glass to get her attention, as she was reading a book while drinking tea.

She turned her head towards Quinn, starting to pay attention to what he had to say.

"Hey uh, …what was her name…" He was mumbling while trying to recall her name. "Neo, wasn't it?" She nodded at him.

"Do you still want to leave this hellhole?"

She nodded again while doing a cheery smile.

"Are you really going to do it?" Inky asked his neighbor, surprised he was considering it. "Include me in this too."

"Shut up, palooka." Quinn was standing next to the glass with his fist to knock to the glass, speaking in Morse code. (I'm all fricking in!) Neo, Quinn, and Inky formed an alliance to escape as soon as possible before Atlas becomes their next prison.


	10. Out of the Cold Rock II

**Disclaimer: RWBY Characters, places and terminologies with the exception of the Original Characters, belongs to Rooster Teeth Productions.**

* * *

It was free-time, all prisoners got an hour of activities inside a recreation room to play games, do some hobbies, or trying not to kill each other in the meantime. While everyone was busy, Neo, Quinn, and Inky sat on a table with chessboards. Neo was writing something on pieces of paper while Quinn and Inky were looking to the rest of the prisoners minding their own business.

"Look at them, behaving like sheep as they are an unable act by themselves," Quinn commented.

"That is the effect of the therapy; people with strong minds are able to resist it. Unfortunately for them, they weren't lucky enough. That leaves us to me, you, her, and partially Bones since we are still aware of everything around us." Inky was explaining everything around the prison.

"I mean, what is Doc expecting to reform criminals? No matter what method he is trying, you can't make them hide who they really are."

"Are you saying it is fine to be a danger for society?" Inky got his eyes wide open of Quinn's way of thinking.

"What I'm saying is one can't brainwash anyone, good or evil." Quinn looked at disappointment towards the prisoners. "I can't believe society is alive with this kind of people."

"I guess they are driven by fear…"

"Or ignorance, either way, they are doomed from the get-go." As Quinn and Inky were done talking, they focused their attention on Neo again as she was done labeling the chess pieces. She put names on each white piece: The King (Dr. Zinc), The Queen (Security Chief), The Bishops (Staff), The Knights (The Atlas Soldiers), The Rooks (Security Guards), The Pawns (Prisoners).

"Hold on a second…Someone is missing." Inky commented as he looked for the pieces.

"Who is missing?" Quinn replied.

"General Ironwood, why is he not labeled on the board? Shouldn't he be the king instead?"

"That is simple; he is not a piece, to begin with…"

"Huh?" Inky got a confused look as he didn't understand what either Neo or Quinn was talking about.

(You should know already the obvious thing right now.) Neo tapped to the table with her pencil on hand.

"He might be the General but he is not part of this place. As you may know the rumors, 'Mayor Tinman' is under a lot of problems which he can't concentrate on everything around the kingdom. Excuse my 'Vacuonese' but that includes this house full of assholes, which it doesn't get any complex than that." Neo nodded as she arranged all the pieces into position, with drawings from the prison's layer.

The prison was divided into three different sections, all of them on the 4th floor. The other three floors got regular criminals and staff. The overall building was stuck in small floating island inside of Atlas. It was pretty clear that the only way to escape both the prison and the kingdom was by stealing one of the flying vehicles. That being said, the required steps wouldn't be easy tasks. The black pieces were only: King (Neo), Queen (Quinn), Pawn (Inky).

"What the…? Why am I the fricking Queen!?" The big guy was definitely not amused.

(You are going to do most the work between us.)

"Hell no! I won't be the mule here!"

"I mean, the Queen is a pretty powerful piece if you think about it. It doesn't sound that bad." Inky's comment only got Quinn's death glare in return.

(Enough foolery, focus alright?) Neo kept moving the pieces according to everyone's routine patterns. The most she highlighted among the rooms were the therapy room and the generator room, where the electricity is running independently. (The Bishops are always going between those rooms only since those are next to each other between walls. The reason for that is because the machine for the therapy consumes a lot of electricity when used at higher levels for longer times.)

"So, you are expecting a blackout, for what exactly?" Quinn asked as Neo started to point the collars with her pencil.

(We need to get those collars out first if we want to escape without anything that might stop us...) Neo tapped as explaining with a diagram of the machine. She then details was pretty vague since those things are pretty complex. (Don't try to unlock them while still on, if you do…) She crossed the pencil through her neck while doing a horrible expression as she looked lifeless. Quinn and Inky gulped while holding their necks with worrisome.

"Okay, so how do we get those things off then?" Inky asked Neo, she pointed at Quinn by going to the therapy room.

"Are you kidding me? I better kill myself than go back to that mad-scientist lab again!"

(Do you want to escape or not?) Quinn frowned as he took a deep breath and sighed.

"Fffffffff-fine, I will do it. The only condition is to hopefully leave me with that Zinc for myself; I want to make him suffer before leaving this hole." Neo nodded while smirking.

(Also the blackout has a different purpose besides deactivating the collars.)

"What else it will cause then?" Neo started to redraw the layer, putting all floors with random scribbles with all Pawns positioned like a wall with Knights and Rooks next to them. With how the silent lady showed to the other two guys how they will have to go around them. Quinn couldn't stop smiling how it was going to be.

"I see…despite I like the plan I'm still not so sure about if it would work or not."

(Do you doubt about my plan already, big guy?)

"I'm saying that how can be so sure about this? Atlas security does not joke when it comes with that stuff anyways. I won't go through this unless you already tested it."

(I've been stuck here for months, I checked every single detail in this place and I already escaped from other prisons. If you have any more complains right now, be free because we are running out of time.)

"Grrrrrrr… whatever you say."

(Good, because the sooner we get with this the better our chances are.)

"Hold on, now? Don't you want to rehearse or something?" Inky was a little nervous about it her unexpectedly wanting to carry the plan immediately.

(Of course, I will do that first, but that would require making a little test.)

"What kind of test?" Neo grabbed a little dart and threw it to Bones' back, piercing him.

"Who threw this damn thing!?" He yelled while looking around, Neo passed the blame to Quinn. "So it was you huh? Your ass is mine!" He rushed and leaped towards the big guy.

"Oh, you little sh…" Bones tackled Quinn before he could say anything else to Neo. He was against the wall while being punched repeatedly on the face. Quinn counter-attacked by a knee on the guts. Those two started mayhem around the area, again.

 **Prisoner 674 and Wanting a Rematch** **:**

 **Bones**

"Don't think I didn't forget about you." Bones was standing while grabbing the darts with his right hand.

"It wasn't my fault alright?" Quinn was getting on guard already.

"Shut up, I will get you this time!" The prisoner threw the darts at the big guy; he grabbed a chess board to block them pretty fast.

"*Sigh* I guess reasoning with you is never an option anyways." He grabbed a stool and started to swing it to Bones like a regular weapon. He was dodging his attacks as the big guy was getting annoyed for his speed. Quinn threw the stool to Bones; he avoided the object but got a really painful jab because he got distracted by it.

Bones start to kick Quinn while being on top of the tables, but he blocked them with just his arms like it was nothing. The big guy grabbed one of Bones' legs and smashed him against the table. The fight started to cause more destruction than the last time they fought.

Neo tried to hold her laugh while watching the fight. Bones took the legs from the broken chair to use them like weapons. He was able to hit Quinn on the face and chest, but the bid guy got enough and started to get worked up as he was throwing punches and hooks around the place.

The moment Bones tried to hit Quinn with the sticks, he held his arm and broke it from the elbow with a single punch. "Gaaaah! You son of a…" Bones was holding his arm while being in pain.

"Giving up already? I'm getting tired of dealing with you."

"As if, DIE!" Despite not being already on the edge, Bones rushed towards Quinn for another assault, but the big guy wasn't impressed as he made another punch on the other prisoner's face that broke his nose. Bones fell on the floor unconscious.

"Hah! Take that, palooka!" Quinn got a mocking grind while spitting on Bones. He felt a little pinch on his arm like it was a syringe. "What the…?" A guard shot a paralyzing bullet, but it didn't affect him like the last time. "Oh, nice try but you will need something stronger than that." The guard shot another paralyzing bullet; Quinn fell unconscious and got dragged by the guards back to his cell while Bones was taking for the nursery.

"What was it, Neo?" Inky asked her of what happened moments ago.

(I'm trying to run an experiment first.) Neo was sitting while taking the chess pieces away from the table. Inky raised an eyebrow of what was coming next for Quinn and Neo's plan. That was just the beginning.

 **Bones: Out of Commission with A Broken Arm.**

"Prisoner 668, Dr. Zinc wants to see you in his office how." Neo stood up and left the recreation room with some guards escorting her. She entered the office with Zinc already waiting for her.

"It is good to see you again, Miss Neopolitan." Dr. Zinc greeted Neo as she was called for her usual 'talk sessions' of the week. Zinc started to pour some tea for both of them. She was sitting properly while looking at the warden, carefully analyzing her surroundings while listening to his talking. "Want some cookies, perhaps some biscuits to accompany the tea?" Neo boldly refused the snacks.

"So how things have been doing lately for you?" Neo shrugged in response. "You know, I think you are doing a great progress since you made a new friend with Mr. Heartstone. You never interacted with any other prisoner from the moment you came here." Neo was crossing her arms and tried to not care about what he was talking.

"I'm curious if someone like you of why you chose the path of crime; it was poverty… bad influences… perhaps parental abuse? You're definitely an interesting case; I can't understand what is inside of your mind. What motivates you to move on? Is it your former partner in crime, Roman Torchwick? You have been working as his personal bodyguard for so many years, and yet it seems that he never came to take you out of here, like a prince rescuing his princess from a tower. I guess love is unrequited after all…" That made Neo jump out of her seat while wanting to strangle Dr. Zinc, but she tried to restrain herself while looking at the guard from outside.

She grabbed the chair back on its place and sat while looking at Dr. Zinc with a fierce look on her eye. "What? Did I say something wrong to you? I guess it's no surprise that you always get abandoned by people around you. They always ditch you like old jewelry that lost its shine after so long. Always taking care of oneself, isn't?" Neo started to look at the floor while Zinc got his eyes on the clock. "Oh my, I guess we are already out of time. I will see you next week at the same hour, Miss Neopolitan." The guard opened the door to let Neo leave the office and escort her back to her cell.

 _'Yeah, see you next week, dumbass.'_ Neo was thinking while she walked into the hallway.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the therapy room, Quinn was already on the table waiting for Zinc to come again and start the procedure. He was looking at the machine; it looked pretty old so far he could tell. Some of the cables went through the wall, which it could confirm Neo's explanation of the generator room next to the therapy room.

Quinn was whistling out of boredom as he was waiting for an hour. _'Damn that pint-sized psycho chick, it is her fault I'm back on this place again.'_ He was speaking between teeth with his blood boiling for everything bad around him. _'Don't come to Atlas they said, you will get arrested at the moment you set foot in there they said. Bah, I do whatever the hell I want. If only they could understand what really means to come back on this frozen kingdom. Now, why is this Doc taking so long to come here?'_

Dr. Zinc came through the door while holding some papers. He walked in circles as something was keeping his mind busy. It was weird to see in that kind of state, as really annoyed Quinn pretty fast. "Hey Doc, do you mind about your morning excises already?"

"Oh excuse me Mr. Heartstone; I got distracted while reading some documents about you."

"No kidding, my arms are feeling numb for being stuck in this table for an hour. You should get a TV or else because of this place dull."

"You know, I find something awfully familiar about you, but I can't recall from where." Zinc looked closely at the paper, but some information where crossed out or confidential.

"You think so? A lot of people remember me for knowing either my bad side or for spitting on someone else's face. Did I spit on you before?"

"No…" Quinn spat on Zinc's face, he wasn't pleased about it.

"I hope that would help you to remember me better, Doc." The prisoner smirked while Zinc threw his glasses to the floor while cleaning his face. In fury, the warden took two spheres to put them on each side of Quinn's head. Those things were connected to the machine, which it became weird for not using the helmet instead.

"I hope you like the Deluxe Pack, Sir…" The charge was in level 7, with sparks jumping around the machine. Slowly, the therapy felt like a psychological horror film as Quinn had to endure for much longer. The lights were losing illumination as almost getting blackout, but the energy returned pretty quickly without affecting the prison. The shocks became worse as the minutes passed by, no breaks between intervals. "Interesting, you are resisting much more than before, let's take to the next level." Zinc turned the charge to level 8, the danger zone.

Quinn was suffering so much, yet still able to hold it for much time without losing consciousness. Zinc tried to look at him closer as no normal human or Faunus could take that kind of punishment. They were already there for so long that neither Quinn nor Zinc could tell the hour. "Alright, that is enough…" The warden turned the machine while examining the big guy, the results were unexpected than usual. "…You are still awake, maybe you got used to it already."

"I guess *pant* you little machine *pant* is losing its juice. *sigh*"

"Nonsense, this thing is one of the most expensive and powerful devices you could get in whole Atlas."

"Hmph, yeah right…" Quinn was blinking pretty fast, as he was losing the sight.

"You should get back to your cell; I must attend some important matters right now." Zinc called the guards to take the prisoner out of the room, Zinc was looking at the table while reflecting for a moment. _'Quinn Heartstone, you really are getting on my nerves.'_

The big guy was thrown to his cell like an animal; Neo was looking while tapping with her pencil to the glass. (Enjoying your stay?)

"Screw you! This is your goddamn fault I got back to that place!" Quinn yelled while punching the glass.

"Dude, you been there for so long, I thought you died or something."

"Shut the hell up, Inky! And you…What was the big deal to make me go there?"

(Tell me, what level was the charge?)

"Huh?"

(I said what level was the charge?)

"Level 8, maybe…Why caring about it?" Neo was taking a sip of her cup of tea while thinking. "Well? You got anything else to say?"

(You got two hours and a half.)

"So what…? Don't tell me you want me to get a new record because I'm already wasting my time here."

(You look better than before.)

"Yeah, no thanks to you…"

(I guess we can carry out our plan, tomorrow.)

"Seriously, what are you talking about!?"

(Don't you get it? We need a blackout by exploiting that machine.) Quinn just got his lightbulb over his head, as finally knowing what was happening.

"I see, as he is the only one to resist that machine for the longest time, we can take the advantage. Pretty smart move of you lady." Inky commented in amaze.

"Umm hello? Did you forget I'm the one taking the risk out of everyone here? What exactly do you expect me to make that as I got thus far without dying?"

(I want you to reach level 9, for three hours.)

"Are…You…FRICKING NUTS!? Do you think I want to let 'Mad Doc' to fry me like a stupid fish? I refuse to go through that ever again?"

"Are you giving up so soon?" Inky asked, but he jumped in fear after hearing a punch from the other side of the wall.

(Understand this; you are the only person so far to go on that therapy above 7 than any of us here. This is our only chance, do you want to really escape or not?)

"To be honest, I don't care about escaping, but I want to give some hell to Zinc and see the reaction of Ironwood's face when I get out of here. I hope you are right about this plan." Neo couldn't understand what was inside of Quinn's head.

They started to mind their own business on each cell, as Quinn was only sleeping with Inky murmuring to himself and Neo just reading with some more classical music on the background. It felt peaceful around when there wasn't something trying to kill you or else. _'Odd, Ironwood is not showing up today, I guess he gave up on interrogating me. Fine by me, I won't be bothered for a while then.'_ Quinn was thinking while relaxing on his bunk.

* * *

"Ah, it is an honor to see you here in my office, General." Zinc said while shaking Ironwood's hand.

"The same thing I could say, doctor. I see you been running this place pretty smoothly despite your most recent 'patient'."

"Ah yes, Mr. Heartstone might be quite troublesome, but I'm doing my best to reform him."

"I hope so because I would like your skills to make him more…cooperative if it is possible."

"Oh General, I think you don't understand the process here. Most prisoners aren't that easy to change their ways, it takes a lot of time to reform someone like him."

"I suppose…"

"May I, if it not much a problem to ask, what kind of business you have with Mr. Heartstone to make you come here instead of attending many important matters for a person of your rank?"

"I can't tell you since is confidential and we are trying to not tell to the public."

"My lips are sealed, General."

"His leader, who was a former student of my academy, is a wanted criminal for the death of 50 people."

"50 people, that sounds terrible."

"It is, Heartstone probably know where is he hiding and I want to know."

"And what are you planning to do if you find him?"

"Just like any other criminal, bring it to justice."

"But that looks a bit strange, why don't you want to show to the public? It might be easier for you if the people know where this criminal is instead of interrogating one of his teammates."

"Sorry I can't do that, doctor."

"Why not? Is it something wrong to tell one of your st…? Oh, now I understand it."

"What is it?"

"You don't want the public to know that Atlas is creating more threats for Remnant. After what happened to your robots, including that little girl in the tournament, you don't want to put another nail on the coffin for your precious army. While the citizens of Atlas are not a problem, the rest of the world won't ever trust you ever again if they know that the most dangerous criminal was a former student from Atlas."

"That's more complicated than that, doctor." Ironwood tried to clear things up, with no results.

"Oh really? I think it is pretty clear to me. You already got enough that people may think you as incompetent. Are you trying to fit on your predecessor's shoes or maybe afraid that your old rival, Colonel Clover might be a much capable person than you right now?"

"How you dare to talk me like one of your prisoners, doctor?"

"I'm just assuming some facts. That's how reality works, General." Ironwood frowned while Zinc was sitting with his hand on the desk, smiling. "Now as for how things became pretty dangerous around here, I would like to request more soldiers to patrol to prison."

"You know I can't let you do that, we are getting short on personal along with my subordinate, Winter Schnee, is in Mistral to protect in case things will go worse."

"Huh, I guess. You know what would be a real shame General? That Remnant will know as the person that caused the Downfall of Beacon, bringing robots to kill innocents and making robot-girls in disguise. Now that the most dangerous criminal is roaming, is just another student from Atlas. In this age where technology advances faster than people, it would a tragedy if such information ends up leaking to the public. Don't you think that would be a terrible tragedy?"

"Are you…blackmailing me?"

"Blackmail is an awful word; I want to say is more an 'insurance' in order to protect people. More soldiers under my rule would help me to secure this prison and thus making sure no more mistakes will cause problems for you in the future."

"You are going to regret this, you know that?"

"I'm aware of it, you are fighting for the security of everyone, while I'm trying to run this place and make people free of calamities created by human actions. You don't want people to turn against you, it is already bad announcing by closing the borders, an economic risk for various private companies. You can call this business."

"I will try to bring more soldiers here for tomorrow. I hope you are happy with your actions."

"I'm sure I will be."

"Have a good day, doctor." Ironwood stood up and left the office while Zinc started to look at the window by admiring the sky. There is always something to gain from the misery of others.

* * *

 _Rule number 1, always do what I say. You are not good enough to make your own choices and order people around. As you can see, no one cares if you are good or bad, only if you have the means to do things. You have none of that for now, so the most you can do is know how to fight._

 _It is quite simple, everybody knows how to fight. There is a fine line between showing dominance over others and being the unlucky guy behind the cashier. Thievery, extortion, murder, all of them required fighting skills as well to survive against the odds. Of course, you need a weapon in order to fight._

 _All those self-proclaimed protectors, all Huntsmen are such naïve when doesn't know anything about self-preservation. Always throwing their lives away thinking that fighting can make this world better. Don't get fooled by them, their system is so broken and stupid that is nothing but a nuisance for us, the smart ones. Before starting the lesson, I have a gift for you…_

* * *

Neo woke up as the rest of the prisoner, including Quinn and Inky, left their bunks in order to stand in front of the glass while waiting to open the cells and start the routine. (How is everyone feeling?) She tapped against the glass.

"*Yawn* not so great but I can't complain much for the moment," Quinn replied while scratching his head.

"I'm kind of nervous for today; do you think it will work?"

"Relax Inky, just follow Miss Psycho and things will go smooth, I suppose." The big guy replied as he was stretching his arms.

(We have only one chance, you better be prepared for the worst, do what I say and do not question my instructions.)

"Yeah yeah, I get it. Just don't nag me if I die by that stupid machine."

"What are you going to do?" Inky asked Quinn.

"Simple, I just improvise. Mayhem ensues."

(One last thing, after you cut the electricity, I will get to the vault.)

"Really? You better don't forget about my stuff, lady."

"I will try to get some distraction for some guards, just in case," Inky commented.

(Is everyone ready? It's show time.) The prisoner left the cells in line. They started to smile while walking towards the workshop. In 5 minutes, chaos will arise inside the Atlas prison.


	11. Out of the Cold Rock III

**Disclaimer: RWBY Characters, places and terminologies with the exception of the Original Characters, belongs to Rooster Teeth Productions.**

* * *

The workshop, a place where prisoners tried to use their creativity while operating with dangerous tools, perfect to create chaos anytime. Despite the large selection of hammers, saws, wood, and metal, Quinn wasn't interested in none of that. He could think on something more creative to shake the room and alerting the guards.

Before the big guy could get into motion, he started to write a note, he knew that after the point of no return there would be no chance to talk with Neo until they were done escaping from the prison. Everyone was minding their own business while the guards were giving an eye on each one of the prisoners. Inky's hands were shaking and sweaty, he wasn't sure if this could be the end for him if he screws ups something on the plan.

Neo was just cutting some wood while looking at Quinn; she couldn't tell why he was writing instead of starting with the plan. The only thing she could assume was that he was waiting for the perfect opportunity to start the show. The big guy was done writing and walked towards her, but he didn't stop or else. He left the not in front of her as he passed through without looking at her. Neo saved the not without letting anyone looking.

"Hey guard, I'm missing a screwdriver for that table," Quinn spoke to the guard behind some bars.

"Are you serious? Ask someone else to give you one and don't bother me again." It seems he didn't want to help the big guys for the favor.

"They said they couldn't find them for some reason."

"What? Let me see it…" The guard opened the gate while other was aiming at Quinn as he was raising his hands and stepping back. The guard walked across the room to the tool boxes, he found the screwdrivers. "There they are how you couldn't see them? Are retard or something?"

"Sorry…" Quinn grabbed one as he called the guard again. "Are you sure those things work?"

"What the hell you think are those, give me that!" The guard angrily took the screwdriver from Quinn's hand to the little demonstration. He disarmed a chair to prove if that was in good condition. "There you go, happy now dumbass?"

"Almost, let me do it myself to make sure." Quinn grabbed it he was putting the pieces on the table. As the guard was feeling desperate by him, he yawned while closing his eyes. Quinn quickly stabbed the guard's hand on the table as he was distracted. "Yeah, it definitely works." The big guy said with a mocking smile as he heard the guard screaming in pain.

Everyone looked in horror as more guards came to the workshop and aimed with the paralyzing rifles. They shot one dart on Quinn's shoulder but didn't go down. Another shot again on the same arm, but he wasn't affected by it.

"You should do something better than that," Quinn said as he kept taunting them. They shot one more time by in the chest, he fell to the floor.

"You two take him to back to his cell for therapy, and someone else should take this guy to the nursery." A guard ordered everyone around whiles the prisoners decided to focus on their activity to not cause more trouble. Neo smiled as she saw Quinn taking him away, just as planned. She was tempting to open the note, but it was better to do it when they get back to her cell.

"Do you think he will be alright?" Inky asked as he was still afraid of what Quinn did to the guard.

(It is fine; you just keep waiting for the moment.) Neo tapped on the table, the other guy nodded and went back to his position. There was something odd about Quinn as she started to notice it, how he could resist the effect of the paralysis every time he got shot by it? The same thing could be asked about the therapy. Nonetheless, it was important for him to do his part of the plan. _'Is this guy even human?'_ She was thinking while acting, as usual, waiting for the moment to arise.

* * *

"Three days in a row, Mr. Heartstone. Do you know what it means? I'm already reaching my limit on tolerating your actions." Zinc was certainly unpleased while talking to an already tied Quinn on the table.

"Well excuse me that some of your 'activities' in this place are becoming rather boring. When you are running a nuthouse instead of a normal prison like floors below us, it is obvious that I would try to shake things around here."

"Do you think you can do whatever you please? I'm a really busy man and I don't like to deal with you every damn time with a brute like you."

"What's the matter Doc? No psychological games for me? Aww, I guess you are losing too much of your touch right now."

"Silence you fool, I guess you are one hard nut to crack. Then I will break you both physically and mentally with this." Zinc started the machine and charging it at level 9 from the beginning. The electrocution proved to be painful for the big guy, as he tried to endure the pain for much time. It was a horror movie scene as there were sparks jumping around with the machine and the prisoner trying to not lose his mind on the process. The lights around the prisons were acting funny as those were turning off.

"Are you having enough, Mr. Heartstone?" The doctor asked the prisoner while still being electrocuted.

"As if!" Quinn spat on the doctor's face again, smiling from ear to ear. "I can go for a longer time and show you this stupid piece of junk can't break my mind. Try to do your best, palooka."

"Grrrr…if you are so eager to die, then I will conceal your death wish." The warden adjusted all everything from the machine in order to make the prisoner suffer even more. The indicators were moving from left to right while the level of electricity was escalating per second. The prison was losing its energy and the engineers were trying to maintain the generator and keep it running. It was overcharging that it was hard for them to keep track of it.

Despite not reaching the required time as Neo asked for, the plan was still running. The moment the dials on the machine want to danger, the machine along with the generator exploded.

It was lights out.

Meanwhile on the workshop, as the whole prison was out of energy before the backup generators could start acting up, Neo took the opportunity to throw a hammer to a guard, attracting some attention towards her. He opened the cage and went inside to beat Neo.

The moment he swung his stick to her, she shattered like glass, causing so much confusion to him as she disappeared. He turned his head behind him and saw Neo already standing there, hitting him with the same hammer. He fell to the floor while she grabbed the keys to free herself on the rest of the prisoner from the collars.

More guards were coming to stop her, but some prisoners including Inky caught them by surprise as she fought back by dodging the attacks and taking a defensive stance. She couldn't use her Semblance again until the cool-down was done, but it wasn't a problem for her since the guards were already falling one by one.

After the last one was defeated, the rest of the prisoners took the weapons and left the unconscious bodies inside the workshop, locked. "Alright freedom, at last, come on everybody let's start a fire on this place!" Inky ordered everyone and blindly followed him around the prison. Neo went in a different direction as the havoc was unleashed inside the prison.

Neo ran around the halfway while dodging the guards, she kicked some out of her way while others got hurt among themselves as they fell for her tricks. Her first stop was the vault where it was everyone's belongings.

She attacked a guard from behind while stomping him as he was on the floor. She used the keys to open the room and retrieve her stuff and Quinn's. She couldn't find anything from Inky, but it didn't matter since Quinn got heavy stuff. She took her classy clothes and umbrella while putting the rest inside a bag.

One thing was sure for her, Quinn would need a hand since he was still inside the therapy room.

* * *

"What is going on inside this place…!? Somebody fix that thing immediately!" Zinc sent the order to the staff with his Scroll while Quinn was stuck on the table. The warden refused to leave the room as it was dangerous at the moment. "Why everyone is being so incompetent right now?"

"Because everyone is under your command, that's why," Quinn commented, looking how angry the doctor was.

"And what you could know about commanding people? You don't care about orders."

"That's right, I don't except for only the ones that earned my respect." He was really confident, as much to Zinc's disdain. The doctor started checked on the door if there was someone to help him. There was a guard standing outside of the room. "Finally, some help." The doctor opened it and let the guard in. "Look I need you to barricade this door while I try to contact for some help."

As the doctor went to one side of the room and tried to use his Scroll while the guard obeyed and moved some tables in front of the door. Quinn still attached to the table with not much to do. There was something odd about the guard that he couldn't get it why the only thing he could feel was a pretty annoyance to it.

"Good, they should come here at any minute." Zinc was done talking as he started to go to the door. While it was well barricaded, he noticed that the guard was shorter in height than the others as he knew his own staff. "I don't recognize you, who are you?" As the guard's head turned around to see the doctor, only evading a slash in the niche of time.

The guard was getting closer with a dagger in the right hand; Zinc was walking away out of fear as he knew the guard was a faker. Got closer for each second, he couldn't know what person was impersonating one of them.

The fear surrounded him as for how close was getting at until stopped next to the table where Quinn was. With the same dagger, the guard cut the belts that were holding the big guy. "Thanks but who the hell are you?" Quinn asked as the guard pulled out a Scroll on the other hand.

*Click*

As the clothing was changing, the façade was over as the uniform becoming a more sophisticated outfit. "Ah, Miss Neopolitan...what an unexpected surprise to see you here." Zinc got his back against the wall with two prisoners on the same room.

"What's the matter? You look pale than usual, doc." Quinn started to hold Zinc from the collar. "I want to ask you something, do you remember me?"

"What?" He asked as the big guy punched him in the face.

"I said, do you remember me?" His face was getting closer to him with burning eyes. "Three years ago, you were nothing but a loser that tried to force other people's mind to act as your little obedient war dogs."

Neo got her eyes pretty wide open, as she couldn't understand what Quinn was rambling about.

"I guess the therapy atrophied your mind, Mr. Heartstone."

"You wish, but that's what they made us while doing right behind of Ironwood's back."

"Can we talk this in a more civilized way?" Zinc started to sweat and his voice was getting quieter as the feeling of dread was invading his body.

"Can't-do…" Quinn lifted the doctor to the table while he ordered Neo to strap him around. "Do you have any idea how it was a pain in the ass to get here? Getting myself arrested to get near you? And now I'm against the clock right now, so I'm in a rush with all my plans." He put the headwear from the machine to Zinc's head.

"What are you going to d-do? You can't run this thing without power!"

"I can't…?" Quinn walked towards a bag which Neo was carrying it when she got to the room. He was searching on the bag as he was looking for something. He found it while whistling a tune.

"What is that?"

"Can't you tell?" The big guy was holding a jar full of yellow-colored Dust. "You think all those machines are the marvels of Remnant? Nothing beats the power of nature with this stuff." He spread some of the Dust on his fingers. "And just like that, the _Silverium_ on the collars have the same kind of natural properties. No wonder why this thing looked so familiar to me." He grabbed the key from Neo's hand to detach the collar from his neck.

"I have no idea what are talking about." The helpless doctor was trying to free himself.

"Don't play dumb with me; I know you still didn't forget everything about me and them. But you never expected that I would come back and get you for what you and those pricks did to me." Quinn started to adjust the Zinc's straps a bit tighter. "But I suppose you are not the one able to give me answers anyways."

"Then just let me go if I'm that useless for you…"

"HOWEVER…" Quinn interrupted while raising his index finger. "You are a great pain in the ass for me and this chick on the room." He nodded at Neo, as she held Zinc's head to stay still on the table.

"I beg you, can't we arrange this?"

"Nope, that opportunity already passed on the moment I met you."

"Fine, you won't be able to escape from here anyways. A bunch of Atlesian soldiers is coming to this prison to control the riot." Zinc tried to sound tough, the other two weren't amused.

"Yeah, we already figured that out." He started to make some friction on his hands, showing some spark due to the electricity coming from the Dust. "All this pain that I suffered on the last three days, it's been stored for so long that I can no longer feel anything on the body."

"Please…Please, I beg you."

"*Sigh* Are you done crying? We only have some spare time to play with you." Quinn was getting two fingers closer to Zinc's forehead while the Dust was still active. "I hope you like my own version of the therapy, 'Heartstone's Deluxe Edition' which is costumed-made for you." In a matter of seconds, Quinn's two fingers touched Zinc's forehead, causing him to get in shock and feeling convoluted. The warden lost his conscious too quickly.

Neo was confused about what just happened, she pulled Quinn's clothes to ask of what was all that about.

"Relax, this guy ain't dead." The big guy replied, but Neo was wondering why he didn't want to kill him. "Letting him dying would only be more troublesome. I'm sure the good old Ironwood would like to talk with this sucker. Now did you bring my stuff?" Neo nodded while dragging the bag towards him.

When he opened the bag, his eyes were full of sparkles, like a kid getting his favorite toy. "Oh baby, I missed you." He started to kiss his weapon, a huge war club. As he kept looking on the bag, his expression turned in to a groan. "What? That's all? Where the hell are all my explosives and my ammo? You have to be kidding me!" Quinn started quickly at Neo with annoyance, she shrugged. "Whatever, I bet those guys took all of them away anyway." He started to change to his normal clothes as those were in the bag as well. He was wearing an old ruined jacket with metal plates on the shoulders and a Kevlar vest underneath it.

Neo gave hand signals while telling about the rest of the plan.

"Did you read the note I left to you?"

Neo replied affirmatively.

"Good, because this is going to be a lot harder than expected." He said while looking outside, a lot of Atlesian soldiers were coming through the hallway while aiming to the door. "Well, I guess we can't go that way." He started to combine some purple and red dust in one jar. He started to shake them until it was glowing.

"Stay back," Quinn warned Neo as they were standing away from a wall. He threw the jar to it and all the walls and the floor started to warped with fire around, causing a big hole in the floor. "Let's move on." The prisoners jumped and escaped from the room.

"General, the prisoners escaped but Zinc is still inside the room. What should we do?" A soldier communicated with a Scroll while standing in the hallway.

 _"Proceed with the plan, get Zinc and bring him to me. Who were the prisoners?"_ Ironwood asked while he still flying to the prison after hearing about the riot.

"It was Heartstone and Neopolitan, sir." The General fell in silence after the soldier's answers. "Sir…?"

" _Just bring Zinc and return to the base, I'll be on the prison instead._ "

"But sir, this place is way too dangerous for you. We can capture Heartstone for you." The soldier replied in worrisome.

" _No need for that, he is way out of your league, I will take care of him for myself. That's an order._ " Ironwood sounded pretty serious that no one wanted to question him.

"Understood, General." He stopped with the communications as they proceed to open the door and get inside. They started to free Zinc and carry him in a wheelchair. They fought on their way back to the hangar.

* * *

"Out of my way you weaklings!" Quinn was tackling through guards and other prisoners while Neo was evading them. The big guy was hitting everyone around with his weapon while sending everyone on the room flying. He was like a train going at full power, really unstoppable as some of the few the people trying to fight back couldn't do any damage to him as he was made of iron.

Neo used some of her illusions to avoid and counter-attack. She was behind Quinn by a couple of meters while running around the prison. She used the umbrella with the hiding blade to make quick stabs and cuts with efficiency. It was impossible for anyone to even be capable to get near her.

They were getting closer to the exit, but some of the guards closed the door from the security room. Neo rushed towards there while Quinn kept defending himself from the mob. It was a total chaos as they fought for their freedom.

Neo entered the security room as a guard was shooting at her, but she blocked the bullets with her umbrella while getting closer to him. She kicked the guard's hand to disarm him and stab on the shoulders and chest, killing him instantly without much of a chance to fight. She used the control panel to open the gate and freeing more prisoners to keep everyone busy.

"Hmph, what bunch of pests…" No matter who many people tried to surround Quinn, he kept hitting every single guard on the room. He swung his weapon that broke some bones and causing collateral damage. Despite his slow movement, his attacks were strong enough to defeat guards with one hit. He was done to fight them, making free to continue with his escape, but our course nothing was that simple for him.

"You!" Quinn heard someone yelling at him, as he focused his sight behind him.

"Oh for the love of… do you ever give up!?" It was Bones with bandages on his broken arm and bruises all over his face.

"I got enough of you; I had to make it from the nursery through here to get my rematch with you." Bones was blocking the exit while holding a baton.

"*Sigh* Look I don't have time for this crap, I suggest you go away before I break your other arm." Quinn was holding his weapon in a defensive stance.

"No way, now that I finally have the chance with no one to interfere between us, I won't stop until I crush every single bone of your body and…"

*SLASH*

As Bones stopped talking, blood came out of his mouth. He couldn't understand what was happening to him. It was too late until he noticed a there was someone behind him. He slowly turned around while revealing a huge cut from his back. When he finally saw someone behind him, he got stabbed in the stomach multiple times. He fell to the ground while showing the murderer to Quinn.

"I fricking knew it…"

"Hello, neighbor." Inky was standing on the exit with a scalpel on his hand, covered in blood. He tried to clean it with his sleeves while smiling. "I guess we never were friends after all."

"Why I would be a friend of a two-faced liar like you? I met so many hypocrites and liars in Atlas that it is almost my second nature to detect people like you."

"I guess I never was able to fool you because I was so eager to see how stronger you would be against something sharp on your neck." Inky was walking around Quinn, trying to intimidate him like a predator.

"Sorry to disappoint you but you should be a better actor if you want to try the friendly approach."

"You know? A long time ago when I got here, I was getting rather boring since the good doctor tried to suppress the real me. Just like a sheep you told me yesterday, the only difference it wasn't fear or ignorance for me. Zinc just tried to tame a hungry beast."

"Are you trying to excuse yourself? Because it really annoys me that a person like you tries to blame others for not showing his true face."

"We live in a world of liars, neighbor. It is a matter of saying lies for our own enjoyment."

"I would rather be an honest and disliked jerk than a friendly and manipulative liar." Quinn lowered his weapon, as not caring to fight the psychotic prisoner.

"Very well, let me show you who truly I am." Inky started to such towards Quinn, with the scalpel aiming to him. On the moment he stabbed Quinn, he shattered like a mirror. "What the...?" He turned around to see Quinn still good while standing on the exit.

"Yeah maybe lying isn't always that bad, but the intentions are what always mattered for me." The big guy looked pretty confident of himself as he doesn't even bother to fight back.

"Grrrr….would you shut up and die!?" Inky tried to attack again, but the moment he got near him, Neo appeared as the image of Quinn shattered again like glass.

She blocked Inky's attack with the hidden dagger from her umbrella while Quinn was still standing but further in the exit.

"Yeah there's another thing, she knew about you too. I wrote a note about you and the fact that she didn't include you on the escape plan it pretty much said a lot about our trust to you. So right now I have a more important thing to do, she will make sure you are not going to mess with us ever."

The big guy kept moving on while Neo and Inky were looking at each other with killer's eyes.

 **Prisoner 677 and a Two-Face Murderer** **:**

 **Inky**

They moved away while looking for each other's movement. It felt cold on the air, silent Neo and Inky were the only prisoners alive on the area. How many lives did those weapons go through countless bodies? They were nothing but cold killers seeing each other as prey.

"Surviving at all cost, only one is allowed to leave here alive."

Inky ran towards Neo as he tried to swing and stab her, but she used her umbrella to parry the attacks from different angles. His fighting style was roguish and unrefined; it was easy for Neo to predict his movements and being patient.

"Stay still and let me kill you!" The prisoner started to get annoyed as he couldn't be able to cut her or something as she was repelling everything he got.

As her opponent was getting tired, she started with the offensive approach by striking him with the umbrella while kicking him on the back. Doing cartwheels, backflips, and fencing was the way she was fighting against an easy opponent.

"Grrrraaaaah! Just! Die!" Out of fury, Inky ran towards her as she slowly showed the dagger while getting into position without moving. _'Bad skills plus temper is equal to…'_

*SLASH*

Inky stopped moving as she put the dagger back to the umbrella. The sound of steel sliding back to the holster felt like a symphony for her on each second she was walking away from him without much trouble. Inky fell to the floor while a pool of blood was expanding around him. Only one left the room alive. _'…death.'_

 **Inky: Died Alone and Forgotten.**

"Everyone, this way!" One of the soldiers yelled to the squad for a distance, Neo hides behind a wall while looking at looking at them. They were escorting Zinc to another direction away from the hangar.

It was odd for Neo since they looked like they were trying to get out of the prison. She decided to follow them to where exactly we're going to. She quietly walked by taking cover and not letting any of the see her. As they were going downstairs, she started to hear loud noises coming from there. She started smiling after finally seeing what that place was.

* * *

"Knock-knock!" Quinn was hitting the door with his weapon as he was getting closer to the hangar. "Damn door, why it has to be jammed on the worst times?" He kept trying to open up, but it was way too strong for his weapon alone, he lamented of not having ammo, explosives or even enough Dust to destroy it.

He was looking around if there was someone else, but he was all alone. "I guess I have to improvise again." He closed his eyes and started to raise his fist until it was directly to his face. "I will hate myself in the morning for this."

He started to punch himself in the face multiple times. He tried to not going for the eyes, nose or mouth, just the jaws, and abdomen. Despite going through pain, his movement was getting slower for each hit he was causing to himself. From one punch after another, he finally stopped as he no longer was able to move his arm with enough speed to make a normal punch.

"Ugh, I think I got enough juice for this." His Aura emitted a red-orange glow that covered his whole body. He extended his arms while touching the door with both palms. His entire Aura was transferring through there as he started to feel his body getting increasingly heavier until the point he was finally done. With a gentle push on the door, it went flying as if something exploded. He was feeling lighter as he depleted all that energy to make his way to the destination.

At last, after so much trouble he finally reached the hangar. He started to feel the exterior's cold weather. It was windy due to the floating island's height and Atlas' never-ending winter just gave the chills to Quinn. The storm was gradually stopping while revealing a figure at the center of the landing spot.

"You really made it, Heartstone." General was standing there all by himself while the Atlesian Dropship was behind him.

"You arrived late than expected, Tinman. I was hoping to steal one of those to get out of this place." Quinn replied while firmly standing away from him.

"So that was part of your plan, huh? Were you expecting me to get here and steal my transport?"

"Precisely, although it was a bit rushed since my original plan was staying here a little longer until you could finally understand what secrets that were holding here for you and my team."

"I guess you are a lot smarter than what appears."

"And you are the most reasonable person than anyone in this goddamn kingdom."

"Don't forget this is your home too, Quinn."

"It was my home from the moment you stopped believing in Jack, General." Quinn drew his weapon as it was touching the ground. "Step aside; you know we don't have to go through this."

"You know I can't allow it." Ironwood drew his gun with his right hand, aiming at the floor.

"Then permission to kick your shiny metal ass, General."

"Permission denied."

Quinn and Ironwood were done talking, as they were more men of action since words would be meaningless for those two. Killing machines created for the only purpose to serve Atlas. The snowstorm was coming back to their direction and they were still keeping their distance. There were only silence, calm breezes from the south that was freezing the building.

"Surrender now, Quinn."

"I rather die than being submitted by you again, General."

The started to take a stance as Quinn was ready to fight one if not THE most dangerous person in Remnant. It became a matter of pride for them, fully aware that someone is not going to home tonight. What really meant for them to fight each other? What was really important for them to follow their own rules at the expense of others? They didn't care about it; the only thing they knew was there's no escape for them.

 **General of Atlas Military Forces** **:**

 **James Ironwood**


	12. Out of the Cold Rock IV

**Yeah it's been so long, but I got pretty busy with work and I was in a trip so I couldn't write anything lately. Also I noticed that no one really cares about this story, so updates will be less frequent than usual. Maybe I'm not that good as a writer, or even as fan of RWBY since I'm trying to make it this concise for a lot of people.**

 **Disclaimer: RWBY Characters, places and terminologies with the exception of the Original Characters, belongs to Rooster Teeth Productions.**

* * *

Ironwood started to shoot Quinn while the big guy repelled the bullets with his weapon like he was swinging them for the ball game with smaller targets to hit. The big guy started to rush towards the General as he kept shooting at him.

Despite blocking some of the projectiles, he still got hit by some of them but not too bad to stop him as he was getting closer. As he got Ironwood on his reach, Quinn swung his weapon against him, but he blocked it with his right hand while hearing metals clashing against each other.

"Hmph, I guess that piece of junk on your body really helps you, General," Quinn said while Ironwood was still guarding.

"You still have a lot to learn… such as not letting your guard down!" He started to pull Quinn's weapon until he punched him in the face with the left arm. The big guy countered-attack as he pulled his weapon too and head-butted Ironwood's face, making him release Quinn's weapon.

They stepped back for a moment, but the General took charge and started to punch Quinn multiple times. He tried to withstand some of the blows while Ironwood continued delivering hooks and jabs on him. Quinn couldn't move from where he was standing as Ironwood got a pretty fast offensive.

"Gotcha!" Quinn dodged the attacks while putting his palm on Ironwood's chest. His Aura was surrounding his body as all the energy started to concentrate on his hand. He depleted it on the General, sending him flying a couple of feet away from Quinn.

"Not bad…" Ironwood complemented to the escapee while trying to stand firmly.

"Dammit, that still hurts…" Quinn said it in pain as he got his hand on the chest.

"You are depending way too much of your Semblance. Do you ever learn, Quinn?"

"Like hell, you even care, my Semblance 'Charge' is the only thing that keeps me alive for so long." The big guy was holding his weapon with both hands while changing stance.

"We will see that…" Ironwood was getting his guard ready for anything. Quinn did big swings almost spinning around but the General dodged the attacks as for how slow the big guy was. Despite that, it was still too dangerous getting too close to Quinn.

After another swing, Quinn started to hold his weapon with the right hand while using the left hand to punch Ironwood from a blind spot. Finally having an opening, he made another swung as it landed on his opponent's left arm, hurting him enough but reacted quickly by keeping his distance.

"What's the matter, General? You are getting way too soft than before." Quinn said in a taunting tone while extending his arms.

Ironwood remained silent while on his knees in pain.

"Huh? Already giving up? Fine by me, I have to catch a plane anyways." Quinn started walking around Ironwood while heading to the vehicle.

Ironwood shot at Quinn's back, but he barely felt anything while he turned back at him.

"Hmph, do you want some more? If that's what you are asking for..." The big guy walked toward Ironwood and holding both hands like he is about to hit the ball. But in a blink and miss moment, the General punched the escapee on the guts and grabbed him from the collar.

He threw Quinn against the floor with a judo technique with a single hand. Vulnerable, Ironwood was on top of him and tried to stop him with consecutive punches from left and right hooks.

The big guy was between a tough opponent and kissing the floor. With every strike he received, he started to feel heavier and resilient to the point that Ironwood's punches felt like mosquito bites.

As Ironwood threw a left punch, Quinn head-butted the fist as it made the General stagger. Quinn saw the chance and used some of his Aura on his open palm to send Ironwood flying a few feet away from him. He wasn't hurt but at least Quinn got more space to breathe. "Dammit, dammit, dammit…" He started to feel rather exhausted due to the energy he used.

"What was that? You got too cocky, Quinn."

"Tch, that was really stupid of me." The big guy felt that his Aura was reaching its limit, not even a strong defense could help him to survive another attack.

"So are you going to surrender? Or you want me to convince you more?" Ironwood walked towards Quinn, only making him stepping back away from the General.

It was pointless, no matter how many times he attacked his opponent, that fight was more on his favor than Quinn's. The robotic parts on Ironwood's body wouldn't stop him to keep fighting. "Grrrr…I'm not strong enough, crap." The escapee said to himself in disappointment.

"I have to admit it, Quinn. You are giving much of a fight than any other student could ever accomplish in this life." Ironwood complemented as slowly walked towards Quinn, cornering him on the edge of the platform.

"I made a promise; I would beat every person on Remnant in order to accomplish it."

"Don't forget that you are only this strong because of me!"

"This is the kind of strength I never asked for! You are so desperate to make perfect soldiers!" Quinn yelled with an angry tone, feeling regretful.

"It was your choice to become like this, I gave you a choice and you accepted!"

"With what!? Preparing us for a never-ending conflict!? Creating stupid robots to defend us until they went rouge!? You are creating monsters, General! It is only getting worse when there are people doing the same damn thing right under your nose!"

"What!? What are you talking about!?" Ironwood dropped his guard after hearing what Quinn said.

"Can't you see it? You said there is a huge threat coming for us, but they made a fool out of you! If you ever have the chance to talk with Zinc, you will understand it what I'm talking about." Quinn made a slight step, already on the border as he was looking to the huge height from the platform.

"I will after I put you back on your cell." He put his gun away while cornering Quinn.

The big guy looked at the height once again; he started smiling for no reason while his sight turned back the General. "Sorry to disappoint you, but that won't happen."

"How can be so sure!? You have nowhere to go!"

"I don't, but I don't care what you or other people say. I'll always do the opposite." Quinn was getting more on the edge, wanting to jump on purpose.

"Don't take another step, Quinn. Just be rational and don't do another stupid thing." The General said out of concern.

"I'm a contrarian, General. I will do whatever the hell I want, even with people I respect." Ironwood got his eyes wide open for Quinn's statement. "As for now, I must go back with my teammates; we are done talking here and I wish you good luck with the interrogation…farewell." Done talking, Quinn jumped out of the platform as the snowstorm was blinding Ironwood. He rushed towards the edge to see where he landed despite the visibility. He was dumbfounded that he actually did it.

On the door, a soldier came out of the door and saw his superior standing while freezing due to the weather. "General we have a problem!"

"Mhhh? What are you doing here? I ordered you to take Zinc and go back to HQ!" He turned his sight back to the soldier with an upset attitude.

"That's the thing, someone stole out transport!"

"What!?" In shock, those two started to hear a noise like a machine coming from the bottom. They started to get a closer look at what was happening. Some lights were turning on while showing the stolen Dropship.

As the storm started to calm down, it slowly showed who was inside. Much to his surprise, Ironwood saw Quinn on the back of the vehicle while looking at the pilot. Neopolitan was piloting the stolen vehicle with Quinn standing on the hatch and saluting towards the General as they went flying, escaping from the floating prison island.

"Send air troopers after them, we cannot let them cross Atlas' borders," Ironwood ordered to his subordinate.

"Yes, sir!" The soldier obeyed as soon he started to use his Scroll for the chase. "Attention, General Ironwood's request to send troops to chase two prisoners coming to the border in a stolen vehicle… What!?" The soldier's mood changed as he didn't like what was hearing.

"What's the matter, lieutenant?" Ironwood asked as he noticed something wasn't right.

"But…is General's direct orders…this can't be…seriously, why…? I…I understand it, I will tell him right away." The soldier hung up the call with a long face. "General, they won't send troopers after them."

"Why!? Under whom authority…!?" Ironwood sound angry as they refused his request.

"Colonel Clover's orders, he wants you back to HQ as soon as possible. They will deploy only two chasers while the torrents will defend the walls."

"This can't be…" Ironwood shrugged, but if something like that must be important as it started to think everything that Quinn said about Zinc. "Alright, let the chasers and torrents handle them."

"But sir, are you sure about that!?"

"I'm sure; if Clover wants him to go then it must be important. Besides, I have the feeling that chasing them will be a waste anyways."

"How can you tell, General?" The soldier looked confused about how easily he complied.

"Because something tells me that his team leader will come back to Atlas, no matter what." Ironwood decided to head to his vehicle while the soldier ordered the rest of his squad to come to the hangar and bring Zinc.

Things are getting weird as the Great General couldn't stop thinking of so many things are going to change, a different threat is arising from the shadows of Atlas. If what Quinn told about his leader's innocence, then the kingdom would get upside down. Without Ozpin's whereabouts, he would take matters in his own hand, even if that means trapping his own people.

 **James Ironwood: Under stress and losing his mind.**

* * *

"Are you sure you can pilot this damn thing!?" Quinn asked Neo while experiencing turbulence due to the storm. Neo replied as she waved her hands to berate the big guy. "Man, I really hate flying..."

The vehicle was shaking a lot that made Quinn a little dizzy of how bad things are going. As he opened the door to throw up, he saw two chasers right behind them. "Crap, we got company!" He tried to look at the panel, but there was a small inconvenience.

"Where the hell is the weapons!?" Neo shrugged as she couldn't find them either. "What kind of Atlas vehicle isn't equipped with weapons!? No missiles or a torrent!? Not even flares…!?" He started punching the door out of frustration. "Whatever, I will try to find something on those boxes."

As soon he started searching, the chasers shot missiles at them. Neo maneuvered around to avoid them, something that complicated Quinn to find anything around as they were going upside down. The storm made things worse for both sides since there were a lot of hills and floating chunks of earth on the way.

"Stay still, dammit!" Quinn yelled while trying to not lose his stomach. As soon Neo stabilized the vehicle, the big guy was looking on the boxes until he finally found where the supplies were. Quinn was grinning from ear to ear for his discovery. "Alright, try to put them close to us. I will stop them with those babies." He started using his weapon to change, 'Titan's Nightmare' into a rocket launcher form. He grabbed some explosives from the box and loaded ready for some action.

"Heads up!" He shot the explosives towards the chasers as they were evading the projectiles. Their movements were unpredictable as they were able to hide on the storm when turning off the lights.

Quinn noticed it was pointless to waste ammo on them while they were obscure; he grabbed a flare gun from next to the co-pilot's seat and shot in front of them. He finally was able to see them and shot another rocket that landed on one of the chaser's wings. It slowed down enough to make it retreat but still got another one to deal with.

"One less, but the other won't go down without some battle," Quinn said while reloading his weapon. The remaining chaser fought back with heavy weaponry too as the big guy closed the door to take cover. Neo did her best effort to avoid critical damage. Unfortunately, the chaser was able to hit one of the turbines, losing balance but still capable to maintain altitude.

"Son of a…! We are losing speed!" Neo looked at Quinn as he was yelling; she got the expression of someone really annoyed. "What? Don't tell me you have a better plan."

Neo gave the instructions to Quinn with some junk around while still piloting. "You have to be kidding me, you expect me to do that!?" He yelled at her as it sounded bad news. Neo insisted as she looked angry at him. "I will blame you if we die for this." As the muted pilot nodded back, she started to gain altitude and going above the chaser.

Quinn got his weapon ready with the door closed while leaving him in his thoughts. _'Dammit, and I thought Ace's ideas were the craziest ones…'_ He was definitely not excited about what was coming. Neo turned the vehicle into 90 degrees as Quinn opened the door. He was holding really tight with one hand while aiming with his weapon with the other hand. "Get lost, sucker!"

It was a direct shot at point-blank range. Quinn destroyed the chaser as the pilot ejected from his seat moments ago before the big guy could destroy it. The Atlesian pilot was falling with a parachute while looking at the criminals getting away.

"Huzzah, we are done with them." Neo gave the thumbs up to Quinn. "Don't celebrate just yet; we are still inside Atlas territory. Our last obstacle is the border, but you are pretty sure that it is not going to be easy since they have like who-knows how many torrents defending there." They focused their eyes forward while Quinn was gathering more ammo for the worst.

They were getting closer to the walls; some lights were showing to them while the torrents started to aim at them. Atlas' forces begun shooting while Neo maneuvered around as fast as possible while Quinn was getting ready to shoot some torrents. The storm was getting visibly thicker and all spotlights never stopped losing them from sight.

"This is stupid; we will never go through that bloody wall as long they can see us. Can you do some of your tricks with this vehicle!?" Sadly for Quinn, Neo replied by shaking her head. She tried to explain that she can't make illusions that big. "Oh this is great, we are screwed then."

As Neo tried to look around, she pointed at the spotlights for Quinn. "Want me to get rid of them?" She nodded at his question. He sighed and got his weapon ready while trying to aim at the lights. "Are you sure you don't want the torrents out instead? I really don't understand."

The torrents were all over the place as it was raining bullets from all directions. Quinn tried to destroy the spotlights as fast he could without being hit by them. The damaged turbine was troublesome as it made a difficult task to aim for well due to the poor balance. "Steady…" Quinn mumbled as he tried to focus his aim. He shot one but it didn't explode. "Keep flying next to the wall, I will make things wild."

As the torrents couldn't shoot as the fugitives were in a blind spot underneath them. Some guards were shooting instead, but they weren't much of a problem since their weapons were weaker. Neo piloted at high speed to send some of them flying. It wasn't really necessary but it amused both her and Quinn.

It was the end of the border; Quinn was done shooting as he used all the ammo. They turned back and flew away from them; some of the guards looked confused about why they are returning to the kingdom without fighting back.

"Lights out!" On his weapon, he pressed a red button under the trigger. Some of the missiles that got stuck on the lights started blinking red lights for a moment.

All lights and chunks of the wall were crumbling; the storm was causing major signal interference on the torrents that couldn't follow their targets. The border guards were completely in the dark, as they couldn't hear where their vehicle was. Everything went quiet for them.

Only the sound of cold winds was raising the tension. Despite they were stronger, the idea of not knowing where they are was more than enough to feel goosebumps. They started hearing whistles as the storm was calming down. They couldn't tell from where it was coming from but definitely wasn't normal.

Someone whistled the Atlesian hymn.

The guards focused their sights to the front, hearing the noise from the distance. Slowly, a vehicle was approaching towards them. The lights were off and some people used the torrent in manual mode to destroy the fugitives. "Ready…" One of the guards raised his hand while holding the orders. "…Aim…" The torrents got the target on their sight. "…FIRE!" The torrents shot at the vehicle at the same time.

The vehicle shattered into pieces like if they were behind glass. "What in the world…?" One of the guards exclaimed as they saw disappearing. A whistle came from behind.

"Hey, you are facing the wrong side, idiots!" Someone yelled on their backs, they saw a vehicle flying away from them. They were already outside of the wall. "Suck on that, Atlas!" Quinn was taunting them as he was getting away. Neo and Quinn finally escaped out of the kingdom.

"Phewww, that was close…I thought you said you couldn't make an illusion that big." The big guy asked the lady as she replied with a shrug. "That was a lie…?" She nodded. "Oh I get it, you can't make illusions if there was light towards us…not a bad idea I must say." Neo was laughing at how the guards' expressions looked like.

"Do you have any plans now that we are out?" Neo replied with signs as she pointed at the monitor with a map. "Vale? Why you would go there if it is infested with heck-tons of Grimm?" Neo insisted, explaining she must go to find someone. "Really…? Well, that is going to be your problem then. As for me, I have a long trip to Mistral." Quinn started to look at the map for the distance between where they are, Vale, and Mistral. "Mhhh, I guess we can get to Vale first and leave you there, I will pilot it to my destination later."

The big guy went to his seat and sat on how tired he was after a long day. The fight with Ironwood really left him a mark, despite he fought tougher opponents. While relaxing, he reached one of his pockets to look at what he had on himself. He found a silver earring with a purple jewel inside one of his interior pockets from his jacket. "Good thing no one stole this thing." He said to himself while wearing it.

The day started to get darker; the night fell after hours of flying around. Neo's eyes felt heavier after piloting the vehicle for so long. "Tired?" Quinn asked her as he noticed the way she looked like, she replied with a nod. "Let me pilot it for a moment, you should get some rest right now. I will wake you up until then."

The muted lady left her seat while Quinn took it over and started piloting it. She lied down over one of the seats while using some emergency blankets to keep her warm as how cold the environment was. She closed her eyes slowly as finally got the time to start looking for Roman.

* * *

 _Rule number 2, never hesitate to eliminate anyone who is on your way. In this world, fear and strength are your only tools to survive. Did you like the present I gave you? This umbrella has a hidden blade on it but only use it to eliminate your enemies with a single strike since it is fragile._

 _Aside from that, you are getting better with your training. Although, you are pretty weak physically to engage combat against Grimm or bigger opponents. As long no one is able to hit you then you should be fine._

 _This may sound unprofessional to me, but I'm really enjoying your company. This style of life can be solitary at a time when you don't have someone to share all your achievements. So promise me to always staying by my side, no matter what you have to do in order to accomplish. There's no one more important than you in my life, Neo._

* * *

" _Warning, multiple Grimm in close proximity."_

"Damn you, stupid Lancers! Get out of my way!" Quinn yelled as he was under attack.

The alarm wakes up Neo so abruptly, the vehicle was shaking violently that made her fall off the seat. Wasp-like Grimm was tackling the vehicle, getting massive damage as they finally were flying over the continent of Sanus.

"Ah, you finally woke up; take control of this while I squash some of those insects." Neo switched places with Quinn while he grabbed his weapon and opened the door to fight some of Grimm. The flight was troublesome since Grimm were cornering them. Some of the Lancers tried to get into the vehicle but got annihilated by Quinn pretty quickly. "What the hell…? I'm getting tired of those bugs!" He said it while crushing Lancers' heads on the air.

The longer she was piloting, Neo started noticing something wasn't right. Grimm readings on the radar were increasing as they kept moving forward. Chaos was unleashed until Griffons were approaching towards them. "You have to be kidding me! More of them…? Seriously…!?" The creatures were stomping on top of the dropship. One Griffon destroyed the left-wing, causing them to lose control.

Despite their best efforts, it was pretty useless as their trajectory was heading towards a destroyed Atlesian Airship on the ground. They were pretty close to the evacuated city of Vale, where Beowolves and Ursai were roaming around. "Watch out!" Quinn ran towards Neo as it was useless to control it. The big guy used himself as a shield to protect Neo from the impact. They went through a hole, making a rough impact.

Their freedom didn't last enough. After escaping and trying to survive the trip, they crashed inside another prison where Grimm roamed around the ruins of the airship. In the end, they just ended in a much worst place. Where there's 0% of rescue, and monsters were their jailers.

The noise of the impact made one of the Grimm to awake. Deep underground a roar was unleashed as something huge as ready to bring calamity on that place. Hungry, angry, and definitely terrifying, the creature was arising from the ground while crawling towards the Airship ruins.

The battle for survival has begun.


	13. Out of the Cold Rock V

**Disclaimer: RWBY Characters, places and terminologies with the exception of the Original Characters, belongs to Rooster Teeth Productions.**

* * *

"Ugh, what a pain…" Quinn commented with annoyance as he tried to stand up and leave the crashed vehicle. After a forceful landing, he and Neo ended trapped inside an abandoned Atlesian Aircraft. He couldn't know for how long it's been like that but sure it was during the Battle in Vale months ago.

"Hey, are you okay?" The big guy tried to ask his fellow escapee, but there was no response. _'Oh right, she doesn't talk…'_ He tried to look around, but he couldn't see her anywhere around. One thing was for sure, he was all alone. He saw everything inside in ruins and filled with smoke and fire.

' _Damn those Lancers and Griffons, now I'm starting to reconsider this was a bad idea coming to Vale in the first place.'_ Quinn was grumbling as focused on looking at anything useful such as ammo or food. He barely was able to salvage some of it, cheap-quality missiles and bland-taste emergency rations. _'I hope to get some flavor out of those…'_ He wondered as he didn't eat anything good recently.

To be more precise, nothing tasted good at all for him in the last couple of years…

He started scratching the left side of his jaw, where his scars were. He felt the place around cooler than usual like he was inside a freezer. Compared to Atlas' never-ending snow, he felt like it was summer. Done gathering everything from the crash site, he looked upwards while examining the hole where they came from.

"Tch, it looks like we can't get out of here through there…it could be worse though." He said that while looking at the blue sky. He tried to assume the time due to the sun's position. It was around the afternoon as for how bright it was the day.

From the ruins, he lifted some objects to move around. Dark, cold, and isolated; it was the perfect place for a Grimm nest. He didn't like how he ended from one Atlesian place to another in one flight. He felt like the luckiest man alive for how many things happened to him in the last few days.

' _Where the hell is that damn door? This place is like a maze…This thing was definitely made in Atlas of how overly complicated is…'_ He complained a lot on his mind about the aircraft's layout since being alone made wonders with his sanity. Every step he made, every move he did, he still couldn't find the exit of even Neo for that matter. _'Typical, trying to save your own skin is something I wouldn't expect less from a pint-size criminal chick.'_

He walked slowly around the deteriorated hallways while looking on his back if there was any Grimm following him. Nothing except corpses of Atlesian soldiers and destroyed Knights. There was mud all over the floor; he noticed small size footprints on the way.

Those looked fresh enough, as he started assuming Neo already went to that same direction. _'Heh, so she survived after all…What the hell are those?'_ He saw bigger footprints next to hers, as something was following her. "Oh, crap…"

* * *

Moments ago, Neo woke up in a different section after the crash. She was in a room next to where the crash was, with bruises and small cuts since she wasn't conscious to use her Aura at that time.

She wiped some dirt off her clothes while looking at her umbrella if it didn't break. Just a couple of scratches and small burns, her weapon was perfectly fine. The room was some sort of janitor's room since there were cleaning products and some other tools. She gave a disdain looked as how dirty it was.

As she took some of her belonging, she noticed a paper sheet next to her hairband. That paper got something written on it, which the handwriting looked odd for her:

 _Day 8,_

 _I was able to find ammo in this place. Although it is pretty useless as it is not compatible with my weapon but I can use one of those Atlesian toys instead, just in case. I'm trying my best to not encounter any Grimm, especially "IT."_

 _Anyways, so far the supplies are running low for the moment and I shouldn't waste any time touring around this place. I can't find an exit no matter how many times I memorized this place; it is almost like I'm walking in circles. The worst part is when I'm able to find a way out; it gets blocked as everything was falling apart._

 _After so long, now I'm looking like a caveman of how dirty my 40,000 Lien suit was getting at. Too bad there's no water running to drink or clean it. I, one of the greatest minds in Remnant have to run and hide like a rat._

 _I can't believe this after my encounter with Red became nothing but a horrible ride. The most I can do for now is finding a way to survive and leave this place. I need to communicate with Neo and let her know I'm still alive._

Neo was in shock because she unmistakably recognized who wrote the note. After so long, from all places, she never expected to find something like that. Without hesitating, she started rushing out of the room while feeling worried.

The place was really falling apart as she had to crawl through some vents since the door was being blocked from the other side. Neo wasn't so eager about the idea to ruin her clothes but there weren't other options. Spider webs and rats were on her way, it was gross but she went to worse places anyways.

Back to the dirt after so many years, as she thought about herself at the moment…

The vents were rusty, got moss and holes. Neo felt some chills due to the place's temperature, a bad moment of not having more suitable attire. As she finally reached the event's end, there was no other way to move forward. She kicked the hatch below her for a quick exit.

Finally out, she was in a hallway with mud. She sighed out of exasperation at how confusing the place was. She tried to recall the layout since she was already inside an Aircraft months ago.

No matter how much she tried to relay on memory muscle, the place was a total mess since some paths were blocked or completely destroyed.

As she was wandering aimlessly, she saw some marks on the ways as if were from an animal. The scratches went across the entire hall, it was cutting through metal. Neo felt cold as the further she went; it was definitely dark since no possible source of light could help her for the moment.

She heard noises ahead of her, like some pieces of metal were crashing and falling to the ground. Neo approached slowly while getting her weapon ready if a Grimm was trying to surprise her. The moment she got inside, there wasn't anything other than destroyed Knights.

Too paranoiac for her own good, so she thought…

She kept walking while checking her surroundings. The place was really busted and nothing useful was inside. Neo proceeded on her way, not bothering herself to check the room. Of course, she should have checked it further since the most dangerous things are the ones you aren't aware of.

As she stopped walking for a brief moment, the place felt colder than usual as death was close, very close.

In the niche of time, Neo used her umbrella to shield against the projectile. She moved her weapon aside to see what was attacking her; it looked like a Knight but with four arms while holding two rifles. It looked deformed as a scrapped creation. The most noticeable feature was a white mask on the robot's face, it was a Geist Grimm.

Its movements were like a zombie, as it was limping with the arms falling apart. The possessed machine kept shooting at the small-sized escapee while she advanced towards it. Just when she got closer to the Grimm, it started to attack with both arms but Neo parried the blows while kicking the legs by the knees.

It was vulnerable as the possessed machine was on the floor. Neo stomped the head quickly before it could be got the chance to stand back again. The Geist left the body and flew through the hallway while Neo chased it down before it could cause her more trouble. That elusive Grimm went through a wall, getting out of Neo's reach.

She tried to examine the said wall to see if there's another way around. It was impossible to go there from where she was. Neo put her right ear close to the wall to hear if it's still there. There was total silence, being improbable to hear anything from the other side. She tried to focus more before she could continue on her way.

In mere seconds, Neo's eyes got wide-open and she started to move away from the wall.

An explosion destroyed the wall, as someone used a weapon from the other side. Between smoke and crumbles, the lady saw a big deformed figure as it sounded metal clashing with each step. The Geist posed more parts of destroyed Knights, but also parts from Paladins making it bigger and threating while welding cannons and armor-piercing machine-guns.

It became a monster.

Knowing there's no chance to fight it, Neo decided to retreat for the moment and lose it. She tried to her composure and not showing fear if she wants to hide for a better plan. Running down the hall, the possessed machine rushed in a crude manner since its anatomy wasn't well-formed. Destroying everything on its path while chasing that small lady, it acted ruthlessly as it shot the heavy weaponry at her.

Neo was under pressure and tried to go through the vents to escape with ease, but the Geist noticed what she was doing and shot at the vents. That forced her to run in a different direction.

The maze-like airship started to give her a lot of trouble and it was impossible to fight back. Neo was quick-planning while avoiding the attacks. She noticed a small hole in a wall and slid through there, escaping from the Grimm for the moment.

Despite losing it, it wouldn't be enough as it started punching there. The lady had to hide quickly before it was too late. The most convenient place she could found was a trash bin on the corner. Space was small but had enough room for her and took the chance anyway.

As the Grimm finally destroyed the wall, it moved slowly inside while examining its surroundings. It couldn't see its prey anywhere and started to throw all desks and boxes around to find her. Neo tried to keep her cool while still inside the trash can.

The temperature was lowering more, she was feeling cold and it seems the Geist still doesn't stop moving despite the room was getting frozen.

Neo sneezed.

The Geist turned around as it heard something from the trash can. It started aiming with the heavy machine-guns at the corner where the sneeze was coming from. Things looked pretty bad for Neo as there's nowhere to hide, could taste the gunpowder near as the Geist was ready to take action.

It started shooting at her…

On the barrage of bullets being concentrated on that single corner, it began shattered like glass and falling apart. The illusion was over, she was running away from behind but the Grimm reacted with a strike with full 180 turns.

Neo blocked the blow with her umbrella, sending her flying across the room. She was hurt pretty badly and tried to use her Semblance to escape again. The Geist noticed the pattern and used some lights to illuminate the room, showing a shadow out of place. Neo's illusion didn't fool it, and the Grimm grabbed her with both metallic hands.

The force it was using to squash Neo was too much for her, its grip was absolutely insane and hopeless to set herself free. She was losing her breath, couldn't even scream. Everything was becoming dark as she started losing her conscious.

"Yo, junkhead!" Someone screamed behind the Grimm while it was a focus on Neo. It slowly was turning to see who was there, until it realized its leg got destroyed in mere seconds. "The only thing I hate more than machines is a Grimm possessing one."

Neo recovered her conscience, realizing Quinn came to save her. The big guy started swinging his weapon with both hands, destroying one of the arms and freeing Neo from the grip. "Tch, you made me run in circles while wondering what you were doing." He said while being on guard, with Neo on his back.

The Geist started moving again while aiming with both heavy guns at Quinn; he had enough of it and just activated his Semblance to withstand the bullets. The longer he was resisting the attack he was becoming unmovable due to the stored energy. At the moment it stopped shooting, he deactivated his Semblance to move again and returning fire with his rocket launcher.

He destroyed its weapons, leaving it vulnerable for another strike. The Geist tried to move but Quinn rushed for one more blow aiming to the Grimm's mask, it reacted and left the body, escaping from danger.

"Little bastard, those are getting smarter every damn day…" Quinn said while putting away his weapon and turning his head Neo. "Are you alright? Couldn't handle that thing?"

Neo shook her head, as she replied in a relieved manner.

"Yeah, I don't blame you. Dealing with something like that alone is pretty much-asking death coming through your doorstep, at least for you though…" Quinn extended his hand at Neo, helping her to stand back again. "…Did you found any exits anyway?"

Neo replied, unfortunately, she wasn't lucky either.

"You must be kidding me, right?" Quinn sighed. "This is just getting better for each second…" Quinn said with unsubtle sarcasm that made Neo roll her eyes. "Whatever, we must find one as soon as possible."

When Quinn started to walk towards the hallway, Neo grabbed him from the jacket to stop him for a brief moment. "What is it now?" He asked with annoyance, the small lady showed the letter to him.

Quinn started to read it with each detail, it left him confused in regard to the letter's content. "This must be pure coincidence, are you sure this is really from him?" Neo nodded with confidence. "I'm not gonna lie, I really doubt he is really alive at this point." Quinn's statement made Neo angry towards Quinn, he kept walking away to look out for an exit.

She pulled his jacket again, insisting to go and look for Roman instead of finding an exit. "Hell no, I want to leave this damn place. You don't understand the dangers of staying here." Quinn pushed her away. "If you want to stay here and get yourself killed, so be it. Don't drag me into this any longer."

They exchanged looks with fierce eyes. Neo was slowly getting her hidden blade out of her umbrella. She went to high speed towards Quinn with the blade at the front, but he stopped her by grabbing her right arm with the weapon.

"Wanting a fight, huh? I really hate fighting chicks half of my size." The big guy threw her away from him, but she landed on her feet with still being on guard. It was a matter of time for those two to explode.

 **The Clash for Freedom:**

 **Neo Politan vs. Quinn Heartstone**

Neo was stepping sideways with her umbrella on position, mirroring the same stance as Quinn's war club was holding with one hand. The big guys made the first move as he swung his weapon at her; she dodged by sliding on the floor. Neo kicked him on the back with a counter-attack.

He got his Aura off because still got some stored energy and he didn't want to lose mobility yet. While the kick wasn't painful, Quinn needed to be careful of not letting his guard down or could be fatal.

Neo did parry Quinn's attacks while just kicking him in the face. He was getting irritated at how difficult was trying to hit his opponent. "This is a waste of time…" He put his weapon away and started doing a stance barehanded. He was doing a defensive position while not moving off his place.

Neo stopped for a brief moment while analyzing his movements, changing the strategy since he is a lot quicker with punches. That should be much of a problem since she fought someone with the sale style. She jumped while doing a dive kick at Quinn, but he sidestepped and counter-attacked with an open-palm strike.

The small lady got hurt by it, much to her surprise since it was the first time someone was able to land a hit on her. She decided to use her blade against him while his Aura was still deactivated. Rushed from left to right while trying to confuse him and backstab him. Quinn closed his eyes while concentrating on the right moment to attack.

In position, she started to attack him from behind with such speed impossible to catch by the human eye. Unfortunately for her, Quinn was above the average human.

Neo swung her blade, but it was futile.

Unmovable, drops of blood fell on the ground and Neo was astonished at the moment. Quinn caught the blade with his left hand while grabbing the lady's neck with the right hand. "I told you, you are just wasting our time before things get worse," Quinn said as he was holding her, incapable of moving. "If you don't stop this madness, we…"

The place started feeling agitated; Quinn felt a chill down his spine while Neo looked at him with confusion. They were feeling terror as hearing loud steps getting closer. Quinn released her from his grip and she was on the ground trying to breathe again, things were getting ugly for those two.

"Oh, no…we have to go, now!" Quinn said in fear while dragging Neo from the arm and running out of the room. As the loud steps stopped, something like snake-headed Grimm was showing off and looking in the hallway. It got its eyes fixed on them and was eager to go after them.

They ran into a blocked pathway with a closed door, they tried to force the doorknob but it appeared stuck by something from the other side. "Dammit! Why am I always had to deal with this stuff?" Quinn said while kicking the door, with no results.

The snake saw them cornered, it moved slowly towards them and opening the mouth for a big bite. They started sweating due to the tension as Quinn couldn't engage combat with his Aura deactivated and Neo's Semblance was impossible to use for the tight space. The snake leaped at them with high speed and eating them whole.

Neo reacted quickly and used the umbrella to stop it from going any further; it gave the chance for Quinn to hit it with his weapon. It was really damaging but not enough to stop the snake. With fierce eyes, it started targeting Quinn as its biggest threat.

"Want a piece of me!? I dare you stupid freak!" He taunted the beast as it was ready to attack again, Neo was behind Quinn while waiting for the Grimm to make its move as well. As the snake was slowly opening its mouth, it leaped again with those big fangs towards them.

The snake broke the illusion, getting suck on the door with the fangs piercing it. They appeared again with Quinn finally activating his Aura and stomping the snake's head. As his Aura was active along with his Semblance as well, all the energy stored made him heavy enough to make the snake impossible to move.

"Gotcha, sucker!" Quinn said with a lot of weight over the snake. His Aura started to glow brighter while focusing all the energy on the leg. Each second made the pressure getting worst to the point where the energy was released, breaking the snake's fangs and jaw while finally opening the door.

With a new path, they kept moving further while leaving the unconscious snake behind. It got dragged back to the hallway it came from while hearing a roar of distance. Neo couldn't stop thinking of what kind of Grimm was back there as it was different from King Taijitu as just one head opposed to two.

"Keep running and don't let that thing spot you again," Quinn warned Neo as they were running through different rooms. They found a room at the end of some upstairs and tried to pull some crates and tables to block the pathway. The tight space would be impossible to make that Grimm able to chase them.

"I think we finally lost it but damn it was a pain." The big guy said in annoyance while Neo tried asking him about the Grimm. "What?" Quinn was trying to catch his breath while looking at her. "I already told you, this is why I wanted to leave this place because of that thing chasing us. I don't know what the hell that Grimm but definitely a dangerous one is."

Neo tried to apologize for trying to attack him moments ago. Quinn didn't care for it as he started to inspect the place. "Huh, this is the Airship's bridge." They noticed the control panels and broken screens; the oddest thing was everything arranged like someone was living there.

"You were right, there was someone here but where is he?" The escapees looked at their surroundings that they were the only ones present. They scattered around to inspect around, as they found boxes with supplies and ammo. "You gotta be kidding me!" Quinn yelled as he saw a box stacked with only cereal boxes there. "Pumpkin Pete's…more Pumpkin Pete's!? There's nothing but damn Pumpkin Pete's in this place!"

Neo asked as she noticed he didn't like that cereal. "Of course I don't like them; those things got nothing but sugar in it. Only a fool would like those things."

* * *

Meanwhile, on a House from Mistral, a blond guy wearing armor plates was eating a bowl of Pumpkin Pete's started coughing. He felt like he was choking with the cereal.

"Jaune, are you alright?" Another guy with green clothes and black hair asked the blond one while eating pancakes.

"I'm fine but the cereal tasted sour for some reason, did the milk expired?" He replied.

"I don't know, but maybe you should check it." The guy in green clothes suggested to his friend. It didn't matter and they kept enjoying their breakfast.

* * *

Back to Quinn and Neo, they were still looking around until the lady saw a trap door underneath a desk. She tried to open it but it got a lock. "Heh, you found something interesting. Let me open it for you." Quinn said while using some Dust he found from one of the boxes. He put small quantities of fire and gravity Dust inside the lock.

"I would move away from it if I was you," Quinn warned to Neo as they stepped back while looking at the lock exploding, it opened with much trouble. "Ladies first…" He said while holding the trap door, Neo asked if is coming in too. "…Not yet, I will stay here while you investigate down there." Neo nodded as she was going down, leaving Quinn alone while looking for something useful.

"Mhhh, nothing is working but there's still some power in the turbines." He said while looking at one of the control panels. "…Too bad this place can't fly again. I wonder what else I could find here." As he was scavenging the ammo and Dust on the boxes, he found another note next to them.

 _Day 1,_

 _I woke up inside a destroyed Aircraft, I thought I was a goner after the Griffon ate me whole while I was about to deal with Red. I wasn't digested so I was able to break free when that Grimm got annihilated._

 _Everything happened so suddenly, I ended the trap inside this place. Minor issues, the only thing I have to do is find an exit and just get back tome before things get worse. Two things I will do after leaving this place: Report to Neo and then get my payment from Cinder._

 _Although I encountered some Grimm on my way, those were nothing with the exception of the Geist. If I play smart, I will be out of here in no time. Like I always say, Survive at all costs._

"Hmph, I bet he wasn't expecting to encounter something worse than a Geist here, poor bastard," Quinn commented as he was done reading the note. After half an hour of scavenging around, he started wondering what happened to Neo since she didn't come back from that room.

"Why is she taking so long?" Quinn decided to go down as well; the place was pretty dark and colder than the bridge. He watched his step as there was no source of light. "Oww!" The big guy didn't saw a metal bar as he got hit on the forehead. It was starting to bother him as he couldn't see Neo anywhere.

"Hey, are you still there?" He tried to call her, but there was no response or else. It made Quinn worry if there was something dangerous in that place. As he kept walking, he stopped because he found another door.

"So, she must be there…" He opened it slowly while looking at some lite candles inside. The first thing he saw was Neo sitting on a corner with the head down. Quinn walked towards her to see why she was like that. "Hey, what are you doing? We have to go." Neo didn't respond like she was ignoring him.

"Are you listening? I said we have to go before that thing finds us again…what are you holding?" Quinn noticed she was tightly hugging a bowler hat with feathers on it. He kneeled while inspecting her closely, she was crying as there were a lot of tears all over her face.

"Oh no…" It finally hit him; he processed everything around as there was a bed with white sheets. Quinn felt like something punched him in the gut, as he started experiencing painful memories from a long time ago. He noticed another note which was next to the bed and started reading it.

 _My Regrets:_

 _It is impossible, no matter what I do there's no way I could leave this place. I wasted 40 days surviving with no hope. That Grimm, it kept me here for so long while crushing all possibilities of escape._

 _It wasn't trying to eat me, but instead, it was toying with me as he found some sadistic joy by keeping me here. That thing was smarter than any other Grimm I couldn't even imagine. This thing brings nothing but despair, I gave up finding a way out and I will die here._

 _I regret not being able to hold my promise to Neo, the only one who was more important than my own greed in this life. I wanted to always keep her on my side, but I don't even know if she is alright anyway. I wish I could apologize to her for not telling that I loved her._

 _She was all for me, and I regret not changing my ways to give her a better life. I regret not being strong enough to survive here and seeing her again. I regret everything, but I don't of meeting Neo._

 _This is the end of the road; I'm Roman Torchwick, and I will die alone with no chances to see her ever again._

After reading the note, Quinn understood how much Roman had to endure in order to see Neo once more time. The big guy walked towards the lady and sat next to her, with a sorrowful expression. "I know this is not my concern but, to be honest, I know how you are feeling right now…" Quinn started to feel like his throat was getting dry while trying to talk to her. "…I know how it feels to lose someone dear to you."

Those words made Neo pay attention to him. "There was nothing but a lot of pain, and I'm still feeling it every day. I'm afraid that more people I know will be gone too, but there's nothing I could do about it." Quinn started doing gentle head pats on Neo, trying to comfort her. "But it took me some time to learn about it; Even if they are gone that wouldn't stop me to continue with my life. This guy really cared about you and he would wish it the same thing for you."

The room started to feel warm, as the feelings of sadness were disappearing from that room. Neo was trying to wipe some of the tears off her face. She turned her head towards Quinn with eyes filled with determination. "Let me tell you something, I imagine his spirit won't rest until you do one last thing for him. Do you what I'm referring to?" The lady nodded, as she knew what he was talking about.

"Good, because there's only one way to leave this place: We must kill that Grimm that has been terrorizing your friend for so long." Done talking, they stood up and left the room with the fire on their eyes. Neo wore Roman's hat while holding his cane with the left hand. Quinn was getting his weapon ready with Dust and rockets on his backpack.

They were back at the bridge while standing in front of the door. Their chances to survive the fight were small but still enough to get motivated to take down the Grimm, which it was still waiting outside of the room.

"You know, this Grimm was nothing but trouble for us here. I was thinking a name befitting for such a creature that brings false hopes…" Neo looked at Quinn, with curiosity about what he was referring to. "…I call him the Chimera, and we will make sure it suffers."

Ready to fight, they opened the door with a kick while looking downstairs. They advanced with their weapons in position and looking at an ominous figure coming out of the shadows. It started glowing three pairs of eyes on different places

It showed the snake they fought moments ago with the still fractured jaw as the tail, ahead of a goat with big horns that could pierce anything on its way on top, and finally, the head of a lion stuck on under the goat's head. It was a complete abomination that no one could make another Grimm run in fear of it.

 **The Bearer of Misfortune:**

 **The Chimera Grimm**


	14. Out of the Cold Rock VI

**Disclaimer: RWBY Characters, places and terminologies with the exception of the Original Characters, belongs to Rooster Teeth Productions.**

* * *

"SECOND ROUND, STUPID FREAK!" Quinn yelled at the Chimera as he charged against it for the front. The Grimm tried to ram against him by using its goat's horns, but the big guy stopped it by holding them. He used some of his Semblance to increase his weight against it.

Neo took the chance and jumped over Quinn to attack the goat's head directly with her umbrella. She impaled on the left eye, and the pain made it react quickly and using the snake's head to attack Neo. She moved out of the way, making the snake biting the goat by accident.

Sure things were pretty tricky, Quinn did strikes against the lion head, but it wasn't enough to slow it down. The Grimm started to return the attacks back with huge swings with its claws, the big guy blocked the attacks, but some of them were sending him to fly across the hallway.

Neo used her Semblance to trick the snake's head, but she was still getting caught as three pairs of eyes were yet following her. No matter how many tricks she would use, it can detect both from all angles.

"Just. Die. Already!" Quinn was getting irritated of the situation. "We need some space; I can't use my explosives in this kind of place." Quinn grabbed Neo's arm and started running down the hallway. The Chimera chased them after; it was shooting fireballs at them. "Dammit, this freak can do that too!? That thing is definitely NOT an ordinary Grimm."

Neo tackled the doors to open another path while Quinn used his weapon to implant some detonators on the walls and floor along the way. The small lady backed him up using Roman's cane to shoot at the Chimera, slowing it down a little. The monster kept destroying everything on its way until the hallway got smaller the further they went.

Those two arrived at what appeared as a lobby. They moved stuff around to block the door where the Grimm was going through. Already hitting the entrance, they used their backs to hold it and preventing of going inside. Already in position, the big guy pressed the red button on his weapon. Detonating the hallway with the Chimera still in it.

Everything was shaking after the explosion, and the big guy decided to get look through the door if the Chimera was dead, with disappointing results. "You have to be fricking kidding me…" He said between teeth, on the crumbles he was able to see the Grimm still moving. It was trying to move everything off it, and all the pressure couldn't let him stand.

"This is great; I don't know what the hell that thing is made of. That abomination looks like a Manticore without wings and more heads than what it should be." Quinn started complaining, much how Neo was getting annoyed of hearing him. "None of our weapons can do any damage to it; we need something bigger and potent." The aircraft's' alarm was at full volume, bringing an obnoxious sound that both fugitives were getting tired, especially the big guy.

"The hell with that alarm, I can't hear my thoughts." Neo agreed on his comment. She was covering her ears while still looking at the hallways' door. "I can't believe this damn place still has enough power to…" In a brief moment of silence, Quinn started to get into deep thought, as something brought inspiration while doing a diabolic grin all over his face.

"That's it!" He exclaimed in a Eureka moment with the small lady confused about his behavior. "This place still has power; I do remember seeing the reactors being active back in that room." Quinn began looking at directly to Neo's eyes firmly. "Listen up, since we can't damage that thing with explosives or any other conventional projectile, our only solution is to bring that freak of nature to the reactors and BAM! We got one crispy Grimm at the order."

Neo was interested in the plan; it was a simple solution but still complicated to perform it. "Tough luck, though. Since the reactors are still damaged, you'll have to activate them manually. I'll have to distract it and bring it to the exact point, and for Dust's sake, don't try to cook me when I got to that part. Understood?" Neo nodded without questioning anything more, that plan was good, AND she wouldn't need to deal with the Chimera.

The small lady started heading to the control room, leaving Quinn to face the hideous Grimm alone. He was able to hear the door being tackled with monstrous force. _'Come on. I'm ready for you…'_ He was thinking while holding a firm grip on his weapon and taking deep breathes for the worst.

After three heavy tackles, a gap between doors was revealing the Grimm's claws still trying to get in. It became silence; the creature stopped and started looking at the hole with a mean eye. Its sight was focusing on Quinn as he was standing in the middle of the room with his weapon ready.

The Grimm's horns pierced the entrance, finally getting into the big room while roaring at the big guy. "Let's dance." He grinned while doing the first swing on the lion's head. The Chimera fought back by trying to bite him but wasn't enough as Quinn held the open mouth by the fangs. With one hand holding the upper fangs and a foot on the jaw, he transformed his weapon and aimed directly inside the mouth.

It swallowed the missile; Quinn closed the mouth and punched the lion's head to make it step back away from him. He detonated the rocket on its stomach.

Another explosion hit it.

The Chimera was roaring in pain. While it did a significant chunk of damage, it wasn't enough to stop it from attacking Quinn. The snakehead went after him with speed like a whip; he guarded the attacks and pulled it from the neck like a rubber band. The Grimm started charging with the goat's head, and Quinn began to transform his weapon, with minor inconveniences.

His weapon stopped.

"Oh, for the love of… now!?" His weapon got stuck in the middle of the transformation, leaving in a manner that neither can shoot nor hit properly. The handle was right on the center in such an awkward position that it became useless. He tried to force it, but he didn't bother anymore since he needed to deal with the Chimera first and not ruining his weapon.

The Grimm did violent swings on the big guy, ducking and stepping out of danger. He already was accumulating a lot of energy from blocking its attacks he had to deactivate his Aura for mobility. He couldn't afford to get hit by it. "This is going to suck."

* * *

Neo was still running towards the engine room, jumping and crawling through small spaces. On her way, she briefly stopped while looking at her surroundings. It was quiet; she thought deep in her mind that she forgot to recall something important.

Slowly started hearing metal clashing on the floor and walls, single pieces of metals above Neo were falling on her. She moved out of the way, seeing that one last thing has to be exterminated. The metal shreds were combining and growing on each second until forming a humanoid appearance. Neo was looking it from behind, and it slowly turned around to see at the small lady.

A Grimm mask was on the humanoid's face.

It moved on gruesome and aggressive movements by stretching the limbs made of shreds by attacking Neo. It made violent swings on her, only by her using her Semblance to dodge the attack and keep moving. She could notice all the sharp blades surrounding the Geist's physical body. It was dangerous to fight it, and the best option was to get to her objective first.

It started chasing her by just extending its body like a spring with a larger length. Neo tried to shoot it with the cane, but the Geist moved the mask on sudden movements that were hard to aim. The Grimm responded with his own attack, throwing blades at her from all directions. She blocked most of them with her umbrella but taking her sight out of the Grimm gave it the advantage to sneak from bellow and wrapping up on Neo's ankle.

It was painful how every metallic part was stabbing her leg around. She was on agonizing position, yet couldn't scream. She tried to shoot once more at the Grimm's mask, but it was still avoiding them. She started bleeding and crawling on the floor while trying to get away from it. The Geist pulled her pack to it, making it more painful as how her leg was being cut even more.

Neo started to breathe in and out at an alarming rate; the chill sensation was coming back at her while seeing her cold breath coming out of her mouth. That is when she started noticing something. From the tubes above her, she saw those were leaking some cold mist out of them. Could it be Ice Dust still on the machines? She was wondering to herself but already got the idea of what to do.

The small lady held the cane and aimed at the tubes, shooting three times and breaking them. All the Ice Dust was sprayed on the Grimm, starting to freeze and getting unable to move. Neo took the chance and freed herself from the monster. Her right leg was badly injured but was better than losing it. She took off her jacket and wrapped around her leg to stop the bleeding. She was out of Aura, needing some time to regenerate it and able to heal herself. Neo tried to examine the Grimm's body, only to notice that the mask was gone. The Geist escaped again.

It didn't matter for the moment; she was limping while getting close to the engine room. While opening the door, Neo saw the control panel still active and functioning. Next to it was a full broken window which was letting her see the reactor still active. She started to adjust the functions and hoping it can turn on.

 _"Activating reactor, current charge at 0%,"_ The computer said on the usual monotone voice.

Neo sat for a moment to see her injury, looking pretty bad. She took a small jar full of Fire Dust from one of her pockets. It belonged to Quinn; she took it without him noticing. She took off her boot and exposing the wound. By slowly pouring the Dust on her injuries, she was feeling a burning sensation inside an excruciating way.

The wound was catalyzing, no longer bleeding but still unable to move fast. _"Charge at 25%"_ Neo heard the computer's progress. She started thinking of everything that has been happening in the last couple of months: Vale getting destroyed and being overrun by Grimm, getting arrested by Atlas Military, losing Roman, and now probably going to die. Everything up to this point was just for the fault of two people for all calamities on her life: Ruby Rose and Cinder Fall.

If Neo ever gets the chance to make it out of alive, the first thing would be finding some Roman's contacts at Mistral and getting some payback on those two girls. Of course, her chances of survival were slim to none.

Neo started to hear noises outside of the window, as some sort of stampede was heading towards the reactor. She tried to stand and see what was going on, only seeing some crumbles falling.

She saw a big figure falling from the ceiling, landing in front of the reactor. "Stop moving!" Neo recognized the voice from a particular brute who was yelling at full volume. "Stay still, you damn freak!" Quinn was riding the Chimera by holding the horns with one hand and the snake's head with the other.

Neo wasn't able to feel but amusement as to how hard to understand the situation. The Chimera went against a wall, trying to get Quinn off its back. The big guy activated his Aura to block that damage and using his own weight to slow down the Grimm. Even though he lost some balance and fell to the ground.

The Chimera had still enough will to fight more despite who much it endured with a single person for so long.

"Neo! Can you hear me!?" Quinn shouted at her, trying to confirm if she was still on the controls. "Whatever if you are there or not, try to press the button when is at full charge! I will keep him busy as much as possible until then!" Quinn rolled when the Chimera ramped against him.

He used his weapon despite malfunctioning, on the way he was handling on an upside-down that resembled as a tonfa. Every blow Quinn landed on the Grimm was fast and bone-crushing, it felt practical than swinging it like he always did as he tried to use boxing. "Huh, neat." The big guy said while admiring the results, but still not useful due to how the weapon was still broken.

 _"Charge at 50%"_ The computer kept telling the reactor's progress. Neo backed up Quinn by shooting the Chimera with the cane. It tried to defend itself with the snake's head; the small lady took cover under the control panel while avoiding bites. The lion's head was shooting fireballs from its mouth; Quinn had to activate his Semblance to block them.

It wasn't enough for the Chimera; it ramped against him once more by leaving him unable to react quickly. Quinn used his on weight to stop the Grimm by holding its horns. Despite having the same kind of force, the Chimera was still able to drag Quinn against a wall. "I'm getting tired of this crap, give me some space dammit!" While even between the wall and the Grimm, Quinn put his foot over the goat's head and still holding the horns.

His Aura started to glow as the surrounding was getting heavier to the point that the Chimera was trying to back off. "Get wasted!" Quinn finally unleashed full charge which not only sent the Chimera away from him but also ripping off the horns. The big guy was finally able to move correctly, he rushed against the Grimm and impaled both horns on the lion's eyes. It screamed in pain, completely blind but still relentless.

 _"Charge at 75%"_ They could feel how the reactor was almost getting to its maximum power. While Neo was shooting at the Chimera, some of the hanging cables inside the room were moving towards her. On a flash, two cables were wrapping around Neo's neck as trying to choke her. She was looking behind her only to notice a Grimm mask on the wall.

The Geist was still not done to kill her; she tried to reach her umbrella to free herself again. Her arms were too short of reaching it; things were getting worse to those two each second. She wasn't able to reach to control panel either, and things will go worse if she can't do that.

 _"Charge at 80%."_ Their time is almost reaching its limit; they can't afford to stay much longer if the reactor gets to the final stage. Neo tried to see her surroundings for a quick way to kill the Geist. The cane was the only thing that could save her but still far from her. Neo tried to resist the cables by slowly pulling them while reaching the cane.

"Ugh, what a pain…" Meanwhile, Quinn still had to deal with his own problems too. He already knew that fighting alone against the Chimera was a bad idea. All his reserves of Aura were almost reaching zero, and not even his Semblance could help him to defend more. The Grimm attacked with the snake's head once more like a whip, leaving the big guy on his knees.

He was on a corner badly beaten with a mean streak. The Grimm won't let him leave the room when the engine would be at full charge. Both people are struggling to deal with two different Grimm at the same time. The Chimera leaped towards Quinn, trying to eat him whole while Neo was attempting to reach the cane.

 _"Charge Complete, Warning: Reactor Overheating."_ From the sound of it, Neo and Quinn knew they had almost less than a minute unless they want the whole place to blow up. Quinn was thinking while holding the Chimera's mouth with nowhere to escape. Nothing on his mind could come up with a good idea, except one. "I'm going to hate myself in the morning for this."

He launched himself inside the Chimera's mouth, letting himself eaten as a whole. It looked like a suicidal tactic that no sane man could think about.

Neo kicked the cane, shooting by itself on one of the cables that almost landed on her neck. She finally got free and pressed the button on the control panel, making the engine to release a ginormous blast on both places.

The Chimera was being burned alive because it was at the center of the room while the rest of the fire went to the controls where Neo was. She took cover under the panel while the Geist was being destroyed as well. Both Grimm was suffering a slow death as the flames were engulfing the whole area with Neo avoiding it and Quinn still inside the Chimera.

 **Chimera: Fried to Nothingness.**

After several minutes of agonizing heat, the Grimm vanished into black smoke when the reactor turned off, with Quinn still painfully intact. The place was under the heat with hot steel all over the place. He tried to get back on his feet while looking at the aftermath. "Well, it went quite messier than expected. Neo! Are you still alive!?" Quinn yelled, hoping a response even if he knew she was a mute.

Through the window, he was able to get faint noises. The big guy rushed there and jumped to get inside. There were crumbles above the controls, and he moved them out of the way as fast he could. "Come on. You can't die on me now…!" He was desperate; the last thing he would do was to pray if she was still alive.

One by one, he started to see her underneath but incapable of moving. After removing all the metal carefully above her, Quinn was able to free Neo, but her eyes were shut. "Oh please, don't die on me dammit!" Quinn started to check her pulse, there was, but she wasn't breathing.

He procced to do CPR without exceeding his own strength. It was a delicate process to expulse all smoke from her lungs. For a moment, he hesitated to do mouth to mouth process, but it wasn't the time or place to complain. After every tragedy and conflict, he wouldn't lose a life again as long as Quinn was still alive.

Neo started to slowly open her eyes and breathe properly as she coughed uncontrollably. "Oh crap…I…I thought you…you…were…" As Quinn tried to find the proper words, Neo was touching her lips, as she felt an odd sensation. She looked directly at the big guy with an angry look and punched him on the jaw. "Owww, what the hell was that!? Is this how you thank me for saving you!? Damn, it hurts." The big guy was holding his jaw, annoyed by how things were for him.

Despite punching him, Neo was not mad at him, partially. She started hugging him after everything they went. She got did nothing but crying, something Quinn cracked a smile. Of course, after a whole minute holding his arm, he tried to take her off him. "Alright that's enough, I know we are alive but could you stop? We must leave this place now." The small lady did what he was telling her. She let his arm go but was unable to stand on her own.

"Your leg, it looks like crap." Neo frowned as how insensitive his comment was. "Let me help you then." He let her climb on his back, doing a piggyback ride. She got her arms over his shoulders while holding both of her weapons. Quinn got his weapon on the left hip while carrying the light-weighted lady. He walked outside of the room, going to the empty hallways inside the airship.

The place was finally quiet, no more Grimm trying to hunt them. They were able to feel the fresh air coming ahead of them. Quinn didn't stop rushing towards the exit he saw a small crack on a wall. There was some light from outside, and the crack looked fragile enough to make an opening. He put Neo down for a moment and started punching it with all his might. Each strike makes the crack bigger until the last punch finally created an exit. They were free at last.

"Fresh air, can you smell it? After almost a goddamn week, we are out of the cage!" Quinn stretched his arms while admiring the forest. They were far from the city of Vale, still on ruins from individual parts. People were still living there after the Fall of Beacon months ago. Quinn helped Neo to sit over a rock while trying to treat her leg with medicine and bandages. "It doesn't look good, tough luck because I'm not a fricking medic."

After a couple of minutes of trying healing her, Neo's leg was feeling much better. She tried to stand for herself but lost balance rather quickly. Still needing more time to recover for both of them, they would need to get some supplies and new clothes from the closest town. Quinn sat on the ground, looking at the sky with satisfactory expression; it was weird for the small lady seeing that brute smiling. "What are you looking at?" That was short-lived.

"So, what are you going to do now that we are free? I doubt you have anything to do here." Quinn asked Neo, she replied by pointing to the big guy. "What? Oh, no, no, no, no, NO! Alright? I won't let you come with me at Mistral, understood?" No matter how much he refused, she started making puppy eyes. He tried to ignore her, but it was useless as that remind him of someone with the same look.

"Screw it, whatever, do whatever you please. Mark my words; we are going to travel together until we set foot on the continent of Anima. After that, each one of us will take different paths." Neo nodded without any objection. Quinn let the lady climb on his back again for another piggyback ride. They went east on an empty road while getting away from Vale.

While traveling, Quinn started looking out of the distance a vast tower, said the tower was what left of Beacon Academy with the Dragon Grimm still petrified. Neither Quinn nor Neo could understand how that monster ended up like that. One thing for sure, its presence was the only reason other types of Grimm kept surrounding the area. Who or whatever caused that sure must be the most dangerous being in Remnant.

* * *

Meanwhile, somewhere in the woods without able to pinpoint the exact location, a young man with a black cowboy hat stopped in the middle of the road. He turned his head to look at what was behind him; there was nothing on the road. "Is everything alright?" A girl with long red hair and green eyes asked the guy. They were accompanied by a husky between them, as she was barking and moving the tail.

"It's nothing, just my imagination." The guy said as it was nothing, but he felt like someone was following them. They kept walking while carrying backpacks and cases. The dog was barking while going ahead of them as she was guiding them.

The tree leaves were flying in the direction of the wind. On the tree branches, there was a mysterious figure hiding among the woods. This person was wearing pure white clothes and a gas mask resembling a plague doctor. Whoever the character was, nothing good will come on the future for the travelers.

To be continued, on _Through the Dark Road_ …


	15. Through the Dark Road

**Disclaimer: RWBY Characters, places and terminologies with the exception of the Original Characters, belongs to Rooster Teeth Productions.**

* * *

"No respect! You hear me? No respect!" A blue-haired guy with goggles yelled at the two other guys walking next to him. They were walking down an empty road that was heading to Mistral.

"You're exaggerating, Neptune." The guy with green hair and wing tattoos on his chest replied.

"I'm not exaggerating! We lost our ride back to Haven Academy, because you two morons overslept!" Neptune kept yelling at his teammates while holding a map.

"Sage is right. We overslept because we spent the whole night patrolling a village when there weren't any Grimm attacking." The last one in the group tried to justify his and his friend's actions. He looked fairly handsome with his red hair and a huge bang that covered his right eye.

"I wanted to make sure we weren't slacking off, Scarlet. If Headmaster Lionheart assigned us on the council's behalf then it surely must be an important mission."

"Not to be a contrarian or anything, but I feel we wasted a lot of time trying to protect that village. Lionheart probably got his info wrong or something." Sage spoke while trying to reason with Neptune. He wasn't listening at all due how focused was on the map.

"Speaking of Lionheart, did you notice he was acting a little odd lately?" Scarlet asked while carrying some of their luggage.

"What do you mean by 'odd'?" Sage was curious about Scarlet's statement.

"As in maybe he was afraid or something. Do you think the counsel is putting too much pressure on him?"

"We don't know. Since Sun isn't here with us, we must compensate for our low performances by doing as many missions as possible." Neptune tried to reaffirm his authority, which none of his teammates took seriously. They kept walking next to the road surrounded by trees. It's already been an hour or so when they departed from said village.

The area felt empty until they heard a horse dragging a wagon. There was an old man in rags driving it with two more passengers sitting on the back. Sage stuck his thumb up on the road to ask for a ride. The wagon began to slow down until it finally stopped next to the group of Huntsmen.

"Well, what can I do for you, gentlemen?" The Wagoner asked the team. He looked like someone in his early 60's at best. He was wearing some old clothes and a straw hat.

"Hello sir, sorry to trouble you, but me and my teammates would like to get a ride to Mistral if you wouldn't mind." Sage spoke for the team.

"Mistral…? I'm not so sure. I was heading in a different direction." The Wagoner was feeling insecure about the team's destination. "Tell you what, I can take you somewhere close to Mistral's Main Entrance if you think that's good enough. Also, you will have to pay 100 Lien per person."

"That won't be much of a problem." The team paid for their ride with no complaints, but Neptune frowned at the method of transportation.

"Today's your lucky day. I would normally ask you for 150 Lien but I'm giving you a discount for Huntsmen in training." The Wagoner said in a jokingly manner despite it not being funny whatsoever. Sage sat next to the old man while Scarlet and Neptune sat in the wagon's back.

Some passengers were already sitting on one side with an adorable husky sitting in between them. One had a black cowboy hat and long black coat with feathers on his shoulders. He looked pretty reserved and quiet but he had an uneasy presence surrounding him. He gave off this feeling that you maybe don't want to be near him, at least for Neptune.

The other passenger had a much warmer appearance. She had long red hair and green eyes. She was dressed in a brown jacket and a red long-skirt. The woman was petting the husky, so Neptune easily assumed it was her pet. Neptune had his eyes fixed at her. She was really attractive. Sage and Scarlet were curious. There was something vaguely familiar about her looks.

Everyone already took their seats and the wagon set off on the road. They rolled out at a slow pace, since the horse was old and had a rather slim body. It was quite surprising that it was able to pull a wagon with six people without any issues. "I must warn you, it may take about two days before we get anywhere close to Mistral." The Wagoner explained to everyone how long the trip will be. "Oh and more thing, you can call me Gus. If you need anything but first class snacks during this trip, let me know."

After hearing Gus' explanations, they kept quiet on the trip. It was relaxing how the soft wind was blowing in their direction, how the leaves were shaking in a gentle manner. That kind of scenery would make anyone appreciate nature a bit more because of how peaceful felt.

"This scenery looks nice, doesn't it?" Neptune started talking to the girl sitting in front of him.

"It is… I can see some of the cherry blossoms in the distance." She replied while looking at the woods.

"Are you familiar with those?" Neptune asked.

"For the most part, I'm not really familiar with the whole area or even Mistral."

"Oh? You know, when we get there I can give you a tour around the city if you're interested." Neptune said in flirty tone as his teammates listened in with a 'here we go again' expression on their faces.

"Are you…hitting on me?" She replied while raising an eyebrow.

"Well…I wouldn't say that, but you are just so beautiful that it's impossible not to invite you." Neptune was smooth talking her, something that Scarlet and Sage started to bet on each time it happened.

"Oh that's sweet, but sadly, I already a sweetheart." She said with smirk on her face.

"I-is that so? Who..?" The blue-haired was disappointed after hearing that. Scarlet handed Sage 50 Lien after hearing that.

"Him." The girl began wrapping her arms around the cowboy. He reciprocated her feelings by hugging her with his left arm. Neptune started sweating profusely while his teammates just snickered at he just screwed up big time. Schadenfreude at it's finest.

"R-really!? Sorry, I had no idea. I…" Neptune tried to apologize, as he was hoping not to get into a fight with the menacing cowboy.

"Oh don't worry; he's not a jealous guy." The woman said with a cheeky tone, reassuring Neptune to put him at ease. "That's because I don't like to be on hit by other people." Her eyes became fierce. Now Neptune was more afraid of her instead.

She started pulling his goggles as far as the rubber would allow. She then quickly let them go. Neptune got hit right in the eyes by his goggles, which made his teammates burst out in laughter.

"Next time, you should be more careful about who you flirt with. You don't know if the next person will humiliate you more than me." She was pretty serious, but oddly enough, it made the cowboy crack a smile beneath his scary facade. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, it's just that he kind of reminds me of Ace." The cowboy spoke with an unsettling smile.

"Well, the difference between this nerd and Ace is that Ace at least knows how to pick them without getting himself in trouble."

"Excuse me but I'm not a nerd, I'm an intellectual." Neptune tried to correct her, she rolled her eyes.

"Intellectual?" The cowboy asked with curiosity.

"It's a cooler way to say hopeless nerd." Sage replied while holding in his laughter.

"Oh shut up…" Neptune was starting to feel embarrassed and annoyed by Sage's comment.

"Don't get upset, Nep. You know you are still the smartest one on the team, nothing bad about calling yourself a nerd." Scarlet patted Neptune on the back, despite the fact that they were making fun of him moments earlier.

"Being called a 'nerd' would make you look a lot more confident in front of the ladies."

"So what's the big deal about being called a nerd?" The cowboy interjected.

"What are you talking about?" Neptune was confused by his response.

"It doesn't matter what they call you as long as you have the skills to show people what you're capable of." The cowboy's words of wisdom made Neptune reflect a little. He wasn't sure if it could be applied to him, but he felt that the cowboy didn't consider him to be a loser. "I could be wrong. It's just more about actions than fancy words."

"I'll think about it…umm. What's your name?" Neptune asked. The cowboy was kind of hesitant to answer.

"My name doesn't matter, to be honest."

"Is there at least something I can call you? Like a nickname or something?" Neptune kept insisting. Neither the cowboy nor the girl were sure how to reply to him.

"I'm Ulysses, and this is Penelope." He finally responded.

"And this wonderful girl here is Saber." Penelope introduced her dog's name, which the dog barked with happiness. "Don't worry she doesn't bite… mostly." She drew a devious smile, which made Scarlet a little uncomfortable.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Sage Ayana."

"Scarlet David, nice to meet you two."

"And I'm Neptune Vasilias, we are Team SSSN." Everyone was done with the introductions, but Ulysses noticed something odd about them.

"So you are a team, huh? Aren't there usually four in a team?" He asked while the rest of the team gave each other saddened looks.

"Yeah, the thing is that our leader Sun Wukong went to Menagerie by himself." Sage explained their situation.

"Why?" Penelope asked.

"He chased after the girl he had a crush on after the Fall of Beacon. He said that she was going back home. I think the feeling was mutual for her too." Scarlet went more into detail about it.

"Wait, did you say Menagerie? So she is a Faunus. Wouldn't he be in trouble to if he travelled to a Faunus-only island?" Ulysses was curious of their leader's actions. Penelope thought he was rather romantic going after her, even risking his life.

"Ah don't worry, Sun is a Faunus too. Although I don't think humans traveling to that island would be in any real danger. They probably wouldn't feel comfortable walking around." Neptune pointed at their leader's actions. So far, it was just those three trying their best to be a better team without him. It was hard for them since the Fall of Beacon.

"I see, well we hope he's alright."

"We hope so." Sage said to Penelope, feeling weary, mostly due to the last few days.

After they were done talking, everyone was minding their own business: Scarlet and Neptune were discussing trivial stuff like how Sun ruined Scarlet's study desk once, with Neptune when they were messing around. Sage was talking with Gus and helped him with the navigation. Penelope was petting Saber while brushing her fur. Ulysses was quiet as he wrote something in a small journal.

The trip was definitely enjoyable for the most part. They wished that they could get a better transportation but they didn't care at the moment. The sun was starting to hide. It was 6:30 PM and the sky was getting a bright orange tone. It was a shame the day didn't end peacefully.

"Easy, boy!" Gus was slowing down the wagon until it stopped. He saw a tree trunk blocking the road. "Well will you look at that, would any of you lend a hand with this?" Gus asked the passengers for ideas on how to remove the trunk.

"I'll help…It won't require more than one person to destroy it." Ulysses left the wagon to inspect the obstacle on the road. Its diameter was pretty long. It would require a powerful tool to cut it in half. Before he could take off his right glove, everyone started hearing strange noises coming from the woods.

"Did you hear that?" Sage asked everyone else on the wagon, they started drawing their weapons. Saber was growling while standing in front Penelope, trying to protect her from any possible danger. They tried to cover each other's backs by forming a circle to protect the wagon.

They couldn't see anything. The woods looked empty no matter how open their eyes were. Ulysses caught something out in the distance. He swiftly moved his head slightly, to avoid getting his head blown off. "Bandits, I should have guessed." He sighed as he joined the rest of the group in protecting the wagon.

Unsurprisingly for him, there were people jumping out of the bushes with weapons in their hands. There were 14 of them clad in torn outfits and some very withered weapons. Despite their numbers, they looked unprepared for a fight. "Well, well, well, what do we have here?" One bandit with an unkept beard and messy long hair approached the ambush. Every time he made a creepy smile, they could see he was missing one tooth.

"What do you want?" Neptune demanded the answer while aiming his weapon.

"What else do you think we want? Everything you have of course!" The bandit started looking at the old wagon. There was nothing of value except for one thing. "Oh, who's this beauty behind you?" The creep started looking at Penelope, much to her disgust.

Ulysses took one step forward, blocking the creepy bandit from looking at his girlfriend. "What? Is she your girl? Why don't you just go your own way before my friends break your face, fella?"

"Your friends? Are you too afraid to do it yourself?" The cowboy replied, much to the bandit's annoyance.

"What did you say!?"

"Are you deaf, stupid toothless creep? I said… are you that much of a chicken that you'd rather leave your pets do all the dirty work?" Ulysses spoke with a loud and clear tone, something that some of the bandits were starting to whisper. The toothless bandit was feeling the pressure.

"You bastard…!" The creep ran towards the cowboy to stab him with his weapon. The cowboy didn't move from his position, and left himself open for the attack. In the blink of an eye, the bandit stopped after noticing the cowboy was no longer in front of him. Everyone was perplexed.

"Listen up, vermin. Why don't you bunch of yacks leave us alone before I start breaking bones? Bandits like you are nothing but nuisances!" He warned every bandit in the area. The creep heard the cowboy was already standing behind him. He didn't even notice how that he got there in the first place.

"How you…?" In that moment he turned to see the cowboy, he got caught with a left hook in the stomach, followed up by a right uppercut to the jaw. The strike was painfully powerful and it sent him flying, making him lose another tooth in the process. As soon as the creep landed, he backed off while ordering the rest of the bandits to attack the group. "You made a grave mistake! We have 20 more men hiding on the woods, waiting as backup."

After hearing his words, Ulysses started thinking and analyzing his opponents. "Hey, goggle guy…" He started calling Neptune with a decisive tone. "Tell your teammates to scout out the woods and see if there are really 20 more bandits. You and I are gonna go deal with them."

Neptune didn't object on any of his instructions. The blue-haired guy told Scarlet and Sage to scatter and find the rest of the bandits. That only left Penelope and Saber to protect Gus and his wagon if any bandits got closer. They were getting closer to them, Ulysses drew his weapon and aimed. He started shooting his revolver from his hip at 2 of them. His reflexes were on par with some of the best Huntsmen around. He fired two precise shots that disarmed and destroyed some of their primitive weapons.

"What the…? Who the hell is this guy?" One of the bandits commented, their fear was slowly consuming them but still not enough to make them retreat. As they charged against them, Neptune transformed his weapon into a guandao and parried their attacks, fencing them off away from the wagon.

One bandit tried to stab Ulysses in the back, but Neptune reacted in time and kicked the bandit out of the way. The cowboy noticed the aid and gave the blue-haired guy a thumbs up. After that, Neptune grabbed one of the bandits trying to punch him and tossed him towards Ulysses.

Ulysses wasted no time and threw some heavy punches. The bandits tried to attack him from behind and front, but he just ducked, leading them to punch each other. Another bandit was approaching from his right; he stopped the bandit by grabbing him by the neck and then he threw him against two more bandits that he could spot in the distance.

A bandit girl was holding a whip with spikes went after Ulysses, wrapping his right arm with her whip. It shredded his sleeves into pieces and pulled him towards her. Neptune saw the cowboy in trouble, and shooting a paralyzing charge at her. Luckily the cowboy didn't suffer too much damage due to his Aura. Ulysses pulled on the whip with much more strength, sending her flying away from the spot she stood in.

One more bandit tried to slash the cowboy with a machete. Ulysses dodged the swings with ease. He was quick with every move he made, until the bandit tricked him by striking his blind spot. The cowboy reacted and blocked the machete's edge with his whole right hand. His weapon got stuck in between the blade and the whip still wrapping the arm.

"Sorry fella, you just got dealt a bad hand." Ulysses said with a devilish smirk on his face. By using the palm-side of his right hand, he countered with a swift knifehand strike that cut the bandit's machete. That move completely tore up the sleeve. To the bandits and Neptune's surprise, Ulysses exposed his whole right arm, showing it was mechanized. The creepy bandit's jaw dropped after discovering that he met another person with a robotic arm.

"Oh no… not again!" He aimed his gun against the cowboy, shooting him with in a state of rage. Ulysses acted quick and caught the bullet with his prosthetic arm, much to the bandit's dismay. By catching the bullet between his index finger and his thumb, the cowboy shot that bullet back at him. He targeted the bandit's hand, which made him drop his gun on the ground.

While Neptune and his team were still dealing with the bandits, one of the bandits sneaked by trying to assault Gus and Penelope. Something he forgot was that Saber was with them. The dog bit his arm with lightning speed. Penelope acted quickly and with two fingers she struck the bandit's arm.

In a matter of seconds, the bandit's arm started to act weird as it tried to reach his back. He was completely immobilized. Saber didn't stop fighting back and bit him again, this time biting one of his legs.

Their forces were weakening, they had nothing but fear in their hearts and were unwilling to continue fighting them. The creepy bandit tried to retrieve his gun while crawling on the ground. But before he could grab it, he slowly redirected his sight up at the cowboy. He was so afraid that he couldn't stand up properly.

"Go ahead, take it if you dare…there is nothing stopping you." Ulysses was in front of him, so close that the creepy bandit was still on his knees unable to think what to do next. He was feeling desperate, not knowing if he should take the gun or get his ass kicked one more time. It was an unwinnable gamble for him.

"I…will…KILL YOU…!" At that moment he tried to grab the gun, Ulysses delivered one final move by hitting him with his knee in the face, making him lose another tooth and breaking his nose.

"Too bad, you lost the game." Ulysses said in a bored tone, as the bandits weren't much of a challenge for him or anyone else.

The creepy bandit was on the ground, with blood in his mouth, trying to comprehend how bad his defeat was against another person with a robotic arm. That cowboy was a monster to him. "Who…are…you!?" He asked Ulysses in terror.

"Me? I'm just a wanderer." He offhandedly replied, which made the rest of the bandits run away as if their lives were in mortal danger. From that day on, the creepy bandit swore that he will beat any person with robotic arms for humiliating him twice in front of his group, or his name wasn't Shay D. Mann.


	16. Through the Dark Road II

**Disclaimer: RWBY Characters, places and terminologies with the exception of the Original Characters, belongs to Rooster Teeth Productions.**

* * *

Scarlet and Sage finally returned, informing everyone that there weren't any more bandits in the area. It took them by surprise that Neptune and Ulysses were able to defeat them so easily. "Holy Dust…did you really beat them all?" Scarlet asked Neptune.

"Yep." Neptune said proudly.

"You?" Sage asked as well.

"Yes."

"Really?" Both of Neptune's teammates doubted him and berated him with skeptical looks.

"Oh come on! Why don't you believe me?" Neptune was dumbfounded that none of his teammates believed that he could fight well.

"Don't be so harsh on him. He really did some fine damage." Ulysses interjected the team, reaffirming to them how helpful Neptune was. "Were there any more bandits?"

"Just about 3 or 4 hiding in the woods, but they weren't much trouble. How did you know they weren't a bigger group?" Sage asked Ulysses about his plan.

"Bandits aren't that big on numbers. 14 of them ambushing us was a dead giveaway. No way they'd have enough reinforcements to back them up." The cowboy explained in quick detail, something that team SSSN found quite noteworthy.

"I see. You wanted us to deal with loose ends." Scarlet commented as he inspected their luggage.

"Not really, having too much people around would only make things worse for me. So please don't get in my way." Ulysses said bluntly. The rest were unamused while thinking _'Gee, thanks for that.'_

"If you're done chatting, how about you find a way to get this trunk out of our way before sundown?" Gus asked the group in sarcastic tone. Ulysses began to inspect the obstacle. He noticed that his own weapon wouldn't be enough to cut it down. While thinking about any alternatives, he noticed that Team SSSN's weapons were no good for cutting trees.

Slowly rising his right hand, the cowboy tried to cut the trunk with one of his signature "Knifehand Strike", but without any results, since the diameter was the biggest issue. "Guess I'll have to improvise." He said while taking a few steps back from the trunk. He aimed right hand at it with his open palm and held said hand by the wrist with his left hand.

"What are you doing!?" Penelope yelled at him, interrupting whatever he was trying to do.

"Destroying it, is there a problem?"

"Yes. Don't waste energy on something like that!" Penelope left the wagon and walked towards her boyfriend.

"There's no way to cut this thing down unless we have a chainsaw or something. Do you have a better idea?"

"I do. Try to cutting it with your hand again."

"I tried."

"You didn't try hard enough!" They started bickering like a time tested couple, keeping their hostility to a minimum. "I have a plan. Stand in front of the trunk again, and just keep facing it."

"What are you trying to do?" Ulysses wasn't sure of what Penelope had in mind.

"Don't judge me. Just do what I say." The cowboy complied and stood next the trunk.

"Ok, now what?"

"Don't move. I'll handle the rest." Her tone of voice felt devious. Ulysses just realized what she was going to do.

"Wait a sec, you're not gonna…? Hey!" It was already too late for him. Penelope was behind Ulysses with her hand touching his back. "Wait, wait, wait…!"

"It might tickle a bit~" She held Ulysses' shoulder with her left hand while pressing his back with the other. She was enjoying it. His prosthetic arm began to act strangely.

"Lu…Penelope, stop that!" He was hopeless. In that moment, she took full control of his whole arm as she meticulously pressed her fingers against a few different points of his back.

"KARATE CHOP ACTION!" She yelled with excitement.

"NOOOO! AAAHH!" Ulysses' arm was moving on it's own. With a powerful movement it chopped the whole tree in half as if it was butter. The moment left everyone astonished at how she made him do something like that. All the while touching him in a rather playful manner. One thing was certain. She was even more dangerous than him, or so at least it seemed that way.

The road was clear. There was nothing blocking it anymore and they were free to continue with their journey.

"Oh my, that was fun." Penelope said with a satisfactory face.

"I need… a break… please." Ulysses was exhausted. What just happened wore him out more than fighting with the bandits.

"Well, shall we?" Gus said to couple, everyone took their seats and the wagon started moving again. While traveling, everyone except Gus and Saber went silent. Everyone was very cautious not to get on her bad side. The silence didn't last long though. The sun began to hide behind the trees the farther they traveled. It became darker and even with their flashlights and lanterns they still couldn't illuminate the road.

"We'll take a break in about half an hour. We have to get some sleep before we can continue with our trip. Hope you got something entertaining for the campfire." Gus told everyone as he was still driving the wagon. The passengers started looking at their luggage to find camping tools and other things. Ulysses was starting to fall asleep. He couldn't keep writing in his journal after the long day.

"Easy there, boy." Gus finally stopped the wagon. They found themselves on the side of the road in a small space surrounded of trees. The spot was perfect for the night. "Alright, would you mind making some fire and getting some water for us? I heard there was a river nearby. I think it's that way." The old man pointed to where the river supposedly was.

Everyone had a different task: Ulysses and Sage had to gather some wood for the campfire. Scarlet had to get some buckets from the wagon and get some water from the river. While they were doing that, Neptune and Gus grabbed a pot, some vegetables and other utensils for cooking. Penelope led the horse to a different spot so she could feed it and get it ready for rest. They worked together so that they could have a safe place to stay for the night.

After several minutes, they were finally done accommodating everything around them. Ulysses used his right hand to light the campfire with the lighter built into his robotic hand. Penelope helped Gus prepare some basic stew for everyone. Everyone got comfortable and took their seats. Everyone sat around the fire, except for Ulysses, who sat next to a tree not too far from them.

Saber was resting on his left, trying to ask him for something. The cowboy began to sneeze as the dog tried to get his attention. He noticed her craving look and decided to look for something in his bag. He showed her a can of dog food to which the dog barked in delight. The cowboy opened it by cutting the can in half and put it in the bowl with her name on it. The husky started eating pretty quickly.

"Hey, Ulysses." Neptune called him out.

"Yes?"

"May I ask you something?

"Sure."

"How did you lose your arm?" Neptune was pretty curious as to what caused such an injury.

"That... is none of your concern." The cowboy said it with a cold tone. It was evident he felt uncomfortable talking about it.

"S-Sorry…"

"Tell me, are you heading somewhere specific?" Sage asked instead, hoping that he could open up some talk.

"We…are about to reunite with some friends at Mistral."

"Friends? Do you mean your teammates?" Scarlet asked.

"Kind of."

"So you are in Huntsman team just like us?" Neptune asked as to satisfy his curiosity.

"Kind of." He didn't seem very talkative after what happened before, almost like he was trying to avoid their questions on purpose. The team members saw Penelope was done helping with the stew and saw her sit next to Ulysses and Saber. They wondered if she would be more open to answering some questions.

"Hey, Penelope?" Scarlet asked the red-head.

"Yes?" She replied in a casual tone.

"Have you ever been in Mistral?"

"Us? No. Never." She said while petting Saber in her lap.

"Really? Then why are you going there?"

"Well, Ulysses is going to see some our old friends and I'm going to visit my father."

"Your father? What is he doing there?" Sage asked with a peaked interest.

"Doing research, as usual." Penelope said with a disappointed sigh.

"I see." The team was starting to think about all that information they got. So far they seemed like a pretty decent couple. "Do you mind if we ask something else?" Neptune asked another question. He could tell that Scarlet and Sage were thinking about the same thing.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Are you coming from Vale by any chance? Because you look really familiar." That question gave both travelers worried faces.

"Uhhhh, nope. Why do you ask?" She almost stumbled over her words.

"Because you look pretty similar to someone we knew."

"Who exactly did you know? I'm sure it's just a coincidence, heh heh." Penelope tried to smile, but she started to feel worried. Ulysses was slowly reaching for his gun without letting them to notice. Neptune took his Scroll and started looking at it for a couple of seconds, tapping away to find something.

"Ah, here it is..." He finally found it. "This girl." He showed Penelope and Ulysses a picture of a girl with the same colored hair and eyes, but she was wearing golden armor and a ponytail instead.

"Huh, she really looks like you." Ulysses commented as he put his gun back, no longer feeling the need to worry.

"Who is she?" Penelope asked with surprise, as she was looking at her exact double. Despite never seeing her before, she felt something familiar about her too.

"Her name was Pyrrha Nikos. She was quite famous at Sanctum Academy in Argus before moving to Vale." Neptune explained the details of Penelope's look-alike.

"Oooh, now I remember. I think Ace mentioned something about that girl on that Pumpkin Pete's cereal box." Ulysses commented while cracking a smile.

"Yeah, before Quinn threw that box to right in the trash."

"Man that sounds pitiful." Scarlet said to himself about Penelope's statement.

"But…well, it was actually hard to believe that you were her at first." Sage said while making a long face, just like the rest of Team SSSN.

"Why do you say that?" Ulysses asked, taking notice of their words and expressions.

"Never mind, it's been so long since the Vytal Festival… and The Fall of Beacon." They didn't bother to say anything else. The mood was getting a little too depressive.

"Oh look, the stew it's almost done. Why the long faces everyone? How about I tell you a fairy tale before serving dinner?" Gus tried to lighten up the mood. It seemed like something that everyone needed at the moment.

"Ooh, I love fairy tales. Which one are you going to tell us?" Penelope was the one with more excitement in her eyes. No one objected.

"This one's from my homeland in Sanus, it's right around the kingdom of Vacuo. You better pay attention." Gus cleared his throat while everyone except Ulysses started paying attention. The old man got closer to the fire and grabbed a bag full of dirt, throwing it in the fire. The smoke started changing colors.

* * *

 _A long time ago, way before the Great War, there was a time when people cared for their own survival rather than power or dominance. There were many tribes and kingdoms doing their best to gather resources to ensure their survival in the future._

 _There were two tribes that stood above the rest. They couldn't stand each other. They often fought each other for food and water, but despite that, they both somehow managed to get their necessary resources from the other._

 _One day, a minor disagreement led them into a conflict that not only showed their immense ego and pride, but also cost them more lives than were acceptable. They were foolish; their stubborn mentality caused both of their tribes to go extinct. After the raging battles took place, only the leaders were the last ones left standing, still fueled by pride and vengeance, refusing to stop this fight until either drew their last breath._

 _Their battle lasted for many months, from the start of the harsh burning summer till the end of the dark freezing winter. They fought day and night, so long until they were no longer able to see each other apart. They became mirrors to one another._

 _No families to protect, no names to be remembered, the only thing they had left was to make a promise to one another._

 _Their shame brought them to make the promise, that if they were to ever be reborn, one should always hunt the other as a punishment for all the things their pride cost them._

 _At the end of their pact, they both drew their weapons for the last time and both fell in defeat with no victory in sight for either of them._

 _Legend has it, that until the end of all that breathes, one will always hunt from the skies where the sun shines brightly, while the other will lead packs of unstoppable power to endure under the moonlight of the shattered moon. An ancient tale of pride and suffering._

 _This is the story of the Eagle and the Wolf._

* * *

Everyone remained silent after hearing the tale. While the couple was lost in thought, team SSSN was more confused and absolutely not pleased with that. "What kind of tale was that!?" Neptune complained about the story's tone.

"Huh, this one's my granddaughter's favorite. I guess teenagers don't get quite the same impression." The old man had somewhat blurred conceptions as to what counted as a bedtime story and what counted as a tragedy. He started serving dinner to each one of them.

It he served them some tasty pork with squashes, carrots and potatoes in metal bowls for each person. The meal was quite subpar, but better than most traditional camp cooking.

Team SSSN was enjoying the meal while commenting on how much better it was than what the cafeteria at Haven had to offer. Penelope was enjoying it so much that a goofy smile appeared on her face. Ulysses wasn't really impressed, thinking to himself that he tasted better stews back home. Eating the dinner was delightful. The night sky full of stars brought was a sight to behold. It encompassed what life was all about for the travelers.

"Man! That really hit the spot!" Sage commented as he was devouring the last bits of the stew left in his bowl.

"Heh, it really did. Even a picky eater like you can't complain." Neptune commented while making a smug face. Sage was unamused.

"Owww! Hot!" Scarlet burned his own tongue while eating. "Could I some water, please?" Ulysses poured a cup of water for the red-haired guy in silence. "Thanks."

"Glad you liked it, it's been a long time since I cooked anything for other people." Gus said with a satisfied look on his face.

"When was that last time you did that, old man?" Ulysses asked Gus while still eating the stew.

"5 years ago, I used to cook a lot with my granddaughter."

"And where is she now?" Penelope asked.

"Right now she's in Mistral. Honestly, I miss her so much." The old man's eyes were starting to fill with deep sadness.

"Then why don't you go visit her? I'm sure you can see her when we get to the capital." Ulysses was curious. He was able to sense how the wagoner was feeling.

"I would love to, but I can't."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because… I'm afraid of coming back to the city."

"Afraid of what exactly…?" Neptune asked as well. No one suspected that such a jovial man could set such a depressive mood. Gus remained silent for a about half a minute, not saying anything until he noticed the rest of the group was concerned.

"I… never mind, forgive this old geezer for ruining the mood with his nonsense." He tried to change of topic. He kept quietly eating the stew. The mood wasn't getting better at all. Everyone already had enough of their own problems.

Neptune was thinking of a way to lift everyone's spirit. He tried to apply his time tested motto WWSD: What Would Sun Do? There were times when a self-proclaimed temporary leader must act to prove their mettle. "I've got it…" He said to himself. "Everyone, how about we play a little game?" Sage and Scarlet were reluctant to play. Penelope and Gus were curious as to what kind of game they might think off. Ulysses couldn't care less.

"You can play without me. I'm going to sleep." The cowboy said while covering his face with his hat. Penelope pinched his cheek before kissing him on it. Everyone quietly snickered.

"So, what kind of game are we going to play?" Penelope asked.

"We're gonna play a little game that our leader created called _Scarlet or Scroll_..." Neptune took out his Scroll as he was about to explain the rules. "It's fairly simple. I took three words and I will give them to Scarlet. He has to come up with a question while I type the same three words into my Scroll's CCTS Browser. I will then choose the most ridiculous autocomplete result. I'll then say two results. You guys have to guess which one is from the Scroll and which one is from Scarlet."

After Neptune was done explaining the rules, Sage began to bang two spoons against his bowl like a drum while Scarlet started typing on his own device. "Scarlet or Scroll, Scroll or Scarlet, which one said it, let's find out, hey!" Neptune sang a cheesy tune.

"I'm feeling lucky!" Scarlet followed up after the tune. Everyone burst out in laughter.

"Alright, first one…" Neptune was tapping into his device while trying to hold in his laughter. "…Can you survive…?" The blue-haired guy was trying his best not to break his composure while reading. "Can you survive inside a Grimm if you're eaten alive?"

"What the…. hahahahaha… that sounds… so ridiculous… hahahaha… but funny… hahaha… at the same time… hahaha!" Gus couldn't stop laughing. He knew the chances of surviving were very slim to none. Chances are you'd die of the fumes the Grimm produced before you'd die of oxygen deprivation.

"I know! That sounds like such a Scarlet question. But I assume other Huntsmen would wonder the same thing." Sage was now smiling, trying to contain his laughter.

"Alright the other one is…Can you survive getting impaled by a rhinoceros horn?"

"Really? You call that a silly question?" Penelope chuckled at how much more tame it was compared to the prior question, but it was a bit more out of the blue compared to the other one.

"All right, time to make your choice." Neptune was ready to give points to the person who guessed correctly. There was a lot of banter about which one was Scarlet's. Sage and Gus went with the second one while Penelope went with the first one. "And the one who got it right is… Miss Penelope!" The blue-haired guy announced like if he was a host from a TV show.

"Ok, tell me, why do you think it's possible to even survive that?" Sage asked the pretty boy.

"Well if you think about it, if a big Grimm eats you whole without chewing, then you're probably still alive inside the stomach until you're digested or until you choke." Scarlet's explanation sounded logical, but there were no confirmed reports of anyone ever surviving that.

"I guess we won't ever know if it's possible, but regardless, she wins this round." Everyone was applauding her for getting it right on her first try. "Alright, next question is… Do you believe…Do you believe on Underground Pirates?"

"Oh please, I'm sure that one's Scarlet, but I mean, I could be wrong." Sage said while second guessing his answer.

"The other one is...Do you believe someone can live without a heart?"

"That sounds dumb… it's hard to choose." Gus was trying his best to think. They tried to argue over the possibilities, leaving Gus to be the only one to choose the former, while Sage and Penelope agreed on the latter.

"Are you happy with your choice? ...Because the second one is Scarlet's!" The winners of the round gave themselves a high-five. Gus was scratching his hair wondering how a teenager would come up with such stupid questions.

"Mind explaining yourself, kid?" Gus asked.

"The thing is after the Fall of Beacon I saw some people losing a lot of body parts, but they were using their Aura to stop the bleeding. It's like chickens running around without head for a very short time before dying." Scarlet tried to explain it, but no one believed that.

"I saw some miracles in my life, but that is definitely impossible." Gus said while picking up everyone's bowls. "I guess we've had enough fun for tonight. We better go to sleep so we can continue early in the morning." The travelers agreed and put all their stuff away.

Team SSSN used their sleeping bags while Penelope grabbed a fuzzy blanket for her, Saber and Ulysses who was already sleeping. Gus blew out the lantern, leaving only the campfire to illuminate the area. They quickly fell asleep as the crickets sang their hypnotic melodies that cradled the group to sleep.

The night was peaceful. They slept safe in the woods until dawn.

* * *

"Ugh… my back…" It was 7:15 in the morning. Scarlet complained while rubbing his back.

"Seriously, why did you choose a spot full of rocks?" Neptune was feeling the same. He couldn't get enough sleep either.

"I thought it looked nice good enough."

"It obvious wasn't a good call, Scarlet." Sage said while reading the latest news on his Scroll. Although Remnant was having trouble with the CCT towers after the Fall of Beacon, it was still possible to communicate within the range of the kingdoms. "What the…?" Sage's eyes got wide open after reading the news from the Mistral News Network.

"What's the matter?" Ulysses asked while sitting on the passenger's seat.

"Haven Academy… got invaded last night…" Everyone was in shock after hearing that the school was under attack. Team SSSN was worried sick after they read how their home went through such an attack without many Huntsmen to protect them.

"Are you serious!? Tell me it didn't happen again!" Neptune asked in desperation after hearing this. All the travelers were starting to get painful memories from Vale, including Ulysses and Penelope.

The couple tried to remain silent, but it was hard after the experience.

"Old man…" Ulysses broke his silence. "Do you think we can get to Mistral any faster?"

"I…I'll do my best." Gus wasn't hesitant. He made the horse run faster even though it made the wagon stumble on the road.

Sage kept reading the article, hoping to learn about the number of casualties or if there was any other collateral damage. Unfortunately for them, due to the bad signal outside the city, they couldn't get any more details. It was dreadful. They needed to get there as soon as they could.

Neptune saw everyone had fear in their eyes. Despair had invaded their minds. Even the cool-headed cowboy wasn't able to keep his head straight. Neptune remembered that the couple had friends and family waiting for them in Mistral. Their reactions were justified. Above all, the blue-haired second-in-command started thinking about a way to cheer them up, even if it would be futile due to the harsh news.

"Hold on a second…" He realized something interesting between Sage's news and their experience at Beacon. Not everything was all lost. "Come on everyone! There's still some time!"

"How can you be so sure?" Ulysses asked, trying his best to maintain his composure.

"If we were able to get some news about the situation, that means the CCT tower wasn't destroyed, and probably the rest of the city didn't suffer anything big." Everyone started to regain some sense of hope, even if the uncertainty about Mistral's safety was still questionable.

The cowboy got a familiar sensation, something he didn't hear for 2 years. Even if he knew Neptune wasn't being honest about the situation, he knew it was necessary for everyone's sake. _'Heh, what a fool.'_ Ulysses thought as he drew a weak smile.

After traveling at full speed, Gus made an abrupt stop when they reached an old bridge.

"Hey, what's the hold-up!?" Sage asked the passengers accidentally hit each other after the sudden brake.

"We must continue on foot. This old bridge might collapse if we continue with everyone still in the wagon." Gus explained while leaving his seat and grabbing the horse's rope to lead it as a precaution. The rest of the travelers did the same, leaving only their luggage with the exception of their weapons in the wagon.

They started walking towards the bridge, going uphill as the abnormal gusts of wind blew in the distance. Much to their surprise, there was a person sitting on the ground, emanating a menacing presence. This being was a wearing pure white combat outfit that covered every inch of their skin. The most menacing part was the gas mask resembling one that a plague doctor would wear. There was no doubt; this person would be nothing but trouble for them.

"Do you mind? You're blocking our path." Ulysses was the first one of the group to speak up.

The person didn't respond. Ulysses looked at the mysterious figure and analyzed everything about the said person. Between the body language, height, and clothes, it was easy to confirm that it was a male adult. From his clean clothes, he deduced that he wasn't a bandit but he definitely wasn't a Huntsman either.

"You…" He spoke with a voice synthesizer that was embedded in his mask. "You should be more polite when asking a stranger to do something."

"Stranger? You can't fool me…" Ulysses was getting in position to make a quick draw. "How long have you been following us?" Everyone was surprised after hearing that. The stranger on the road slowly stood up with a firm posture.

"So, you already knew about my presence huh? Pretty perceptive…" He extended both of his arms into an imposing pose, revealing his hidden blades that appeared from his wrists. "Since we finally meet each other, I should introduce myself. It's the polite thing to do." Everyone got their weapons ready, in case he did anything funny. "You can call me Sal. I'm here to exterminate the plague of this world. No need to present yourself, cowboy. I know who you are. You're The Plague of Remnant: Jack Spades!"

Everyone opened their eyes wide in shock and glanced at the cowboy. The mysterious young man whom they referred to as Ulysses was suddenly attacked by the man named Sal, who lunged at him with a brisk long jump that he concluded by striking his blades at the young cowboy. The cowboy parried his attack with his robotic arm, all the while aiming his revolver with his left hand at the enemy. Whoever this guy was after, it was a guarantee that no one traveling beside him was safe.

 **The Mysterious Stalker:**

 **Sal**


	17. Through the Dark Road III

**Disclaimer: RWBY Characters, places and terminologies with the exception of the Original Characters, belongs to Rooster Teeth Productions.**

* * *

Not bad, you reacted faster than I expected." The mysterious assassin named Sal complimented the swift cowboy. He was trying to strike him in the face with both of his hidden blades, but Ulysses quickly blocked them with his right arm and countered by drawing a revolver from his left. The assassin saw what he was planning to do and in response aimed both his wrists at his head.

Although the blades didn't reach his face, the cowboy heard a weird clicking sound coming from them. He quickly kicked the stalker away from him. At that exact moment, two gunshots went off. The bullets went flying, so close to his face that he barely dodged them. He picked up on the fact that not only did the assassin have blades but also guns. Judging by his fighting style and his weapons of choice, those skills he displayed were those of a professional Huntsman.

"Impressive…I couldn't expect any less from the Plague himself." The stalker was standing, unmovable from his place while reloading his guns.

"I'm no one special. I'm just a wanderer. Nothing else!" The cowboy was on the defensive while he changed the slug rounds in his revolver into shotgun shells.

"Of course you are someone. You are Jack Spades. You are the only one I was born to kill." Sal's voice was getting raspier and more malevolent under that ominous mask. The members of Team SSSN came to the cowboy's aid. "I should warn you, this issue between the Plague and I shouldn't concern you. I suggest you leave before any of you sustain injuries that are… badly beyond recovery."

"We don't care what the big deal is. We won't let you murder anyone!" Neptune stepped in front of the cowboy, with the rest of the Huntsmen acting as shields for him. "I don't know if I should call you Ulysses or Jack, but we won't let that guy kill you." He said to the person behind him.

"Don't be stupid, this guy is way beyond your league!" The cowboy tried to warn the Huntsmen, but it was already too late as they charged against the stranger. Neptune tried to swing his guan dao against him, but the mysterious man dodged the attacks with a few well-coordinated sophisticated movements.

Sage followed up with a flurry of strikes from his big sword, but he was still unable to land a single scratch. Scarlet tried to use both his pistol and cutlass along with a few agile jumps to overwhelm him.

It was futile, all three members weren't able to land a single hit. The assassin didn't even try to counter-attack. He meticulously foresaw each of their moves.

At that moment Sage and Scarlet tried to attack him at the same time from both sides, but he blocked the strikes with his hidden blades. He played around with them as he twisted himself to make the two eager students run into each other.

With a drop kick, Sal sent both Neptune and Sage flying towards Scarlet. He ducked, but by looking away from the enemy, he was left open for an attack. After looking upwards, he saw the stranger had jumped into the air, his blades glistening as he attempted to stab him. In the blink of an eye, he saw another weapon had intercepted the hidden blades. It was a tomahawk that belonged to the cowboy.

"I told you not to get in my way, didn't I?" He said while trying to parry the attacker away from the handsome guy. While keeping him busy, he swung between his tomahawk and robotic arm with both of his blades, the clash itself sent sparks flying everywhere. They did nothing but dodge his attacks and hope for the best.

"Jack! Catch!" Penelope yelled as she threw a bandolier toward the cowboy. He quickly noticed and performed a judo move with his robotic arm to get some distance between him and Sal, but also to get some time to breathe. He grabbed the bandolier from the air and wrapped it around it around his body. It was full of various types of shotgun ammo.

"Lucy! Take the wagon and cross the bridge, now! I'll keep this guy busy!" He shouted at his girlfriend while throwing a barrage of punches at the stranger. The red-haired girl nodded back and took the rope out of Gus' hands, leading the horse across the bridge.

"Come on, we have to help him!" Neptune changed his weapon into a trident and rushed to the cowboy's aid. Before he could get any closer, Sage grabbed him by the collar and stopped him from rushing in. "What are you doing!? Sage, we must…"

"No…" The tattooed guy said with a dead serious tone. "He told us not to interfere. You saw what he can do."

"But…"

"Sorry, Nep. I would have been a goner if it wasn't for him." Scarlet interjected as he touched Neptune's shoulder. "Let's just keep Gus and our transport safe while he fights him off. If things go wrong then we'll go and help him. Even all of us combined can't beat that dude."

The second-in-command didn't object. He replied with a simple nod and they chased after the rest of the group through the bridge. They tried to pass safety by checking every plank if there wasn't any damage. They carefully walked from behind the wagon. The bridge was old enough that it could fall apart any minute.

As the group was still moving forward, the girl was worried sick that her boyfriend had to deal with it alone. No matter how much she wished to go back and help him, if something happened to her, Jack would have never forgiven himself.

Back to the fight, the situation was getting heated as both sides were trying to land blows. Jack started swinging his Tomahawk and at the same time he pulled the trigger to barrage the assassin with a flurry of bullets. He tried to take advantage of both of his arms to strike any possible blinds spots. Sal wouldn't let him do that. He tried to get him with stabs and gunshots, keeping him at bay with punches and hooks.

Jack so far somehow avoided all of his incoming attacks, but one of Sal's attacks was a roundhouse kick that came at lightning speed. He moved his head without much issue but got too confident and saw something odd coming out of the stranger's talon. He opened his eyes in surprise as he tried to dodge another hidden blade. It made a nasty cut on his cheek before it avoided his eyes and nose.

"Dammit…Could it be…?" Jack was covering his cut with his right hand. He was shocked that the stranger had more weapons on his boots, but furthermore that they were also capable of piercing his Aura.

"Look at that, so you recognize it too, huh? I hope you're done with wasting my time." Sal's tone of voice felt more taunting than usual. He was really confident that he could take Jack down.

"If that's what you want, then gladly…" The cowboy transformed his weapon back to a revolver, reloading it with more buckshot ammo for good measure. His face started to draw a mean looking devilish smirk which the stranger found a bit unsettling. Jack also seemed like he was really invested into it. "…If that means cashing all my chips into a battle of life and death, then I'm all in!"

Both opponents were ready to go all in. They felt the heat of the moment. Both had killing intent on their hearts. They ran towards each other with vicious intent. Sal did a cross-slash with his hidden blades, but missed. The stranger lost sight of his target as he was attacking him. It was like he evaporated into the air like a ghost. He felt his presence really close to him, but still he couldn't see him anywhere, not even above him.

"Draw!" He heard the cowboy yell, right behind him. Sal performed a swift back kick and shot another bullet from his talon. He missed again but he finally caught onto the cowboy's movements as he frantically stepped around, leaving a trace of black ashes around Sal.

It left the stranger vulnerable for an attack. This allowed Jack to land a powerful right hook on Sal's face. The punch was able to go past his Aura. It was a surprise for sure. "How the…!?" Sal noticed something distinctive about Jack's right hand. He had some odd, but familiar looking metal infused into his knuckles and palm. "I see. It was stupid of my part not to foresee this." A small chuckle came through his mask, but he cut it pretty quickly once he got into his fighting stance.

Both of them were pretty aware that every hit could mean death if they weren't careful.

"Come on, we are almost on the other side!" The girl now referred to as Lucy led the wagon and the rest of the group across the long old bridge. The further they went along the rickety bridge, the louder the non-stop barking of Lucy's husky became.

"You've gotta be kidding me…!" Sage was looking at the woods ahead to see how close they were to the end of the bridge, while the rest of team SSSN focused their sight on the planks, but before they knew it, they got into some even deeper trouble.

"Grimm!?" Gus yelled as a pack of Beowolves were getting closer to them from both sides. The intense battle behind them made enough fuss to attract those foul creatures. It was impossible to turn around now, they had no other choice but to fend them off.

"You know what to do, Scarlet!" Neptune gave an order to the red-head guy, he nodded back while Sage was getting into position with his sword out. Scarlet jumped over Sage, onto the blunt side of his blade, and got launched high into the air.

"My turn…" Sage was getting ready to fight by turning a weird dial on his sword. He threw it against a Grimm, impaling it through the chest. Sage's body began to glow with a vibrant green Aura, making him teleport towards his sword in an instant. He used the kinetic energy he built up from the teleport to sever the Beowolf in half with one fatal blow. Scarlet bent his arms and fell onto another Grimm, stomping it's head on the way down. Using it's head as boost, Scarlet shot it in the back of it's head. They began to destroy them one by one while making sure none of them would get near the wagon.

Neptune saw more from behind them, trying to get to the bridge, but most of them got drawn towards the fight between Jack and Sal rather than going after the wagon. "This can't be good, he'll probably need help against those." He said with a worried tone.

"No…" Lucy interjected.

"Huh? Why not?"

"He doesn't need help to deal with him."

"I meant helping your boyfriend with those Beowolves!"

"He doesn't need it, just watch." She insisted while pointing at the other side. Neptune saw the two fighting while being surrounded by more Grimm. They tossed them against each other, swiftly evading them while still fighting each other like as if those foul creatures didn't even exist. One leaped at the cowboy from behind. He side-stepped and made the Grimm attack the stranger instead. Neptune decided to help Jack by blindly laying some quick suppressive fire with his rifle.

Sal reacted quickly by cutting an incoming Beowolf vertically with a single high kick. Another one came at him from his right with it's ferocious claws and bone-crushing bites only to be tossed towards the cowboy. He shot the head ,which made it splatter all over the floor while disappearing into the thick black mist. For them, Grimm were nothing but an annoyance.

As Neptune was looking at them fight, he noticed something odd about them. The Grimm weren't actively trying to attack Jack. It was as if he was invisible to them. All the creatures were only focused on the assassin, but he didn't overwhelm him thanks to his speed and skill. Sal wasn't much different, his attention shifted towards the monsters instead of his target.

Surprisingly enough, the way in which they were fighting was almost as if they were cooperating. Their moves were synchronized and their power seemed equally matched. Truly a terrifying sight to behold.

At that moment Sal turned his back to decapitate a small Beowolf. Jack saw an opening and threw a punch while he wasn't looking. Despite having the upper hand, when the cowboy thought his punch connected, Jack was suddenly launched into the air with as strong gust of wind.

The stranger wasn't really impressed, since he was looking back at his target. He shot two Grimm that came at him from his left and right but he didn't even take his sight off the cowboy. "Nice try, but you won't be able to lay a finger on me. No matter how many potshots you take." He said with mockery while cutting another incoming Grimm's throat wide open with ease. Jack was laying on the ground after getting launched in the air by Sal's counter.

If what the stranger said was true, then it will surely require more thought than average to defeat him. Jack was looking around his surroundings. He saw not just packs but entire hordes of Grimm heading in their direction. Jack knew it was nothing but a waste of time and instead focused on keep fighting Sal. He started heading to the bridge, leaving his opponent at the mercy of the incoming Beowolves.

Sal was doing his best, shooting and slashing every Grimm behind him, but with every kill, two more sprung at him out of nowhere. It was impossible to get rid of the pile of Grimm swarming around him. The overwhelming numbers left him almost no room to dodge them. Some managed to get the jump on him and envelop him in a giant pile. The cowboy took advantage of the situation and left him. He was already halfway across the bridge.

Lucy, Gus, and Team SSSN were done protecting the Wagon and were already on safe ground. Scarlet used the hook and rope coming out of his flintlock pistol to incapacitate some Grimm while Sage tackled them into the river flowing below the bridge. The Grimm fell off the cliff and went downriver at a speed that was hard to get out of it.

After briefly looking behind to see how the stranger was doing, Jack saw glimpses of light coming out of the pile of Grimm. Slowly, their dark inky hides were turned into a stone-like texture, looking as if they were turned to statues. The stranger finally emerged from the pile victorious, breaking all of the petrified pieces of the decimated Beowolves off of him. He was furious.

Everyone was surprised by what they just saw. His outfit was tarnished with claw marks and his mask wasn't in a good shape either. The most noticeable part Jack saw was that Sal's right eye was completely exposed due to a broken lens. His iris was bright silver, bordering on being pure white. Sal leaped towards the cowboy, but he jumped above Sal, leaving more black ashes above the assassin. Jack took a shot but missed, only to be high kicked by Sal, almost getting stabbed in the stomach.

An intense breath came out of Jack's mouth as every fiber in his body felt pain due to Sal's weapons. He still barely reacted fast enough to dodge the blades. "Trying to run away? You are everything I imagined. Nothing but a coward…" Sal spoke with a screeching metallic voice that was caused by his torn up malfunctioning mask .

"A coward? Maybe, but I ain't stupid…" Despite looking like he was defenseless, Jack smirked as he looked at the planks below Sal. The hole he made in the plank when he shot his gun earlier became bigger, to the point of cracking and making Sal fall through it. That didn't stop him as he grabbed onto some of the planks and started hanging below the bridge. He advanced quickly and got into position below where the cowboy was standing. Sal shot at him, piercing the planks in the process, forcing Jack to use his Semblance I order to avoid all of the incoming bullets.

"Keep dancing, boy." Sal said while still shooting at Jack. He had enough and decided to return fire, leaving even bigger holes that left the stranger with almost no more planks to keep hanging below from. Sal knew it wouldn't last long and got back to crossing the bridge to fight properly. The bridge was in a worse condition than before. Just one good strike could make it fall apart in seconds.

"How's he holding up?" Scarlet asked Neptune while still taking care of even more Grimm.

"Not that great, they're still fighting…" Neptune replied while electrocuting some of those creatures with his weapon in trident mode.

"He better be done soon, because we gotta move on before these mutts call reinforcements." Sage explained while impaling two Beowolves at the same time. "How's that old man and the gal doing?"

"Well…Let's say they don't need much help." Neptune replied in a nervous tone. As he saw Lucy, Gus and Saber dealing with the more creatures on their side. The old man was standing over the wagon, shooting with an old shotgun and protecting it. The dog was biting the Grimm, viciously jumping from one to another.

Lastly, the redhead girl shot what appeared to be a harpoon and pierced through a Beowolf's skull. She shot another Beowolf, this time the impact was so hard it impaled the Beowolf standing behind it and impaled both of the beasts into a sturdy tree. Long strong metal wires were attached between the weapon and the projectile. She ran around while wrapping the wire around another Beowolf, trying by pulling it until the monster was cut in half by the sharp pressure.

Truly, Lucy was a girl that no one would dare mess with.

"Dude, we're lucky she's on our side." Sage remarked to Neptune as both of their jaws fell on the floor.

"She can mop the floor with me any day of the week…" The blue haired guy said in a quiet tone, swallowing his words out of before anyone heard him.

"What?" Sage was rather confused of what he said.

"Nothing…"

"Guys…I would like some help here, please?" Scarlet yelled to his teammates as he was shot and sliced a few smaller Grimm. They hurried on his aid, still crushing the hordes of creatures in their path.

Back at the old bridge, the two guys were still battling, blocking each others attacks. Every time Jack landed a hit on Sal, he got pushed back with more gusts of wind that made it impossible to get close to him. Even with his right hand, he still couldn't get past his Aura, because the stranger kept parrying it away from him with every move.

The cowboy tried to wrap his head around how his Semblance worked. So far it just countered any physical damage he threw at him. Only one thing was for sure. He was able to punch him in the face without having to deal with the same problem. Unfortunately for the cowboy, the chances of him doing it again were unlikely. He shot his revolver once again while attacking with his right hand.

Sal dodged the blows and waited patiently to lower his guard. He attacked to with by shooting from his weapon on both wrists and ankles while being cautious of the cowboy. Jack started to feel tired as they didn't stop fighting for a good hour and a half. The stranger took the advantage and rushed with both blades out ready to strike again.

Jack barely had enough time to react and wasn't able to avoid the attacks. He received more cuts and bruises from the assassin's weapon to his chest and arms. He was starting to bleed out, but his Aura could still keep up with healing him. He retreated a few meters back with his Semblance but he still wasn't far enough. "Damn, this doesn't look good for me…" He muttered while almost falling on his knees. Sal had a lot more stamina. He was standing while reloading his guns.

"Tired? I wouldn't blame you if you really are. You are a mere mortal after all. It's always been like this since ancient times. People can't go on for long enough." Sal said in his usual menacing tone.

"And what the hell are you then? I'm sure you aren't some immortal being either." Jack said while putting his gun back to his holster. He never took his sight off the stranger.

"I'm no one. I have but one thing on my mind. To kill every monster in Remnant. including you." Sal got into position, taking out all his blades, ready to see Jack bleed out for good. The sun was already in position. It was still early on the morning. The sunshine was illuminating, it came right from Jack's back and engulfed Sal with all of his glory. His blades were reflecting sunlight onto the cowboy.

It wasn't high noon, but now it became a showdown.

"Look!" Gus called everyone while pointing to the other side of the bridge. A stampede of Beowolfs, Boarbatusks, and Ursai were coming from behind the stranger. Both opponents were either unaware or didn't care about what was approaching. Team SSSN were about to go after them, but Lucy stopped them from interfering. The girl started to whisper something into Scarlet's ear. What he heard was a rather unusual, but functional plan.

They noticed something odd about Jack's right hand. His palm started to glow with a faint blue light that emanated from the palm. He got in position where he was ready to draw his gun with his right, despite being left handed. They waited patiently until the river's flow increased. Now the river sounded like like the roaring of the ocean.

"Draw…" Sal said on with smug mangled voice as his exposed eye was dilated with fury. The stranger threw himself towards Jack while the cowboy didn't even move from his place. The cowboy threw a right jab and extended his left hand with the open palm. Both stopped the other's attack. Sal pierced Jack's left hand through with an entire blade and attempted to block his right hand. It seemed like they had reached a stalemate. "Nice try, but playtime's over."

"You think so? Then let me ask you something. Do you know what I call my right arm?" Asked the cowboy with snark in his voice, trying the ignore the pain from being stabbed.

"Should I care?" Sal said without caring about what the cowboy was talking about.

"You should, because I already have the upper hand."

"What are you talking about…?"

"This is a Bad Beat!" Jack yelled as he opened his right hand, showing a lively blue light radiate while the arm blurted out a strange noise. It took Sal no more than a second to realize that he was being played for a fool as the robotic palm was directly shoved into his face. He quickly moved his head out of the way, making Jack aim at the hordes of Grimm behind the stranger. Everything went silent as a bright laser blasted away at high speed, going through multiple Grimm that disintegrated one after another.

"Holy…Dust…" Neptune was amazed and so was the rest of the group. Seeing such a destructive weapon be wielded by someone like the cowboy. As the struggle was getting worse, the group saw how the bridge began to collapse because the power of the beam created an intense pressure wave underneath Jack and Sal. Both of them fell into the strong stream below them.

"Now!" Lucy yelled to Scarlet, signaling him to shoot his hook and wrap it around Jack's robotic arm, to save him from the fall. The cowboy was pretty heavy so the rest of Team SSSN came to help Scarlet pull the rope. Jack was right next to the cliff when he was trying to climb back up with only his left hand, but things weren't that easy for him.

"What the…Arggg!" His right got stabbed in the earlier and still had a fresh stab wound. As he looked down, he knew that things weren't going so well.

The cowboy saw that the stranger was holding onto his right leg, his mask was in worse shape than before. The right side of his mask was almost gone fractured and burned from their earlier battle. Jack noticed his left iris was burning red. It was quite unsettling to see what kind of person was beneath the mask. "You think I'm going to let you live? I will chase you to the ends of the world!" Sal yelled with anger and this time, his real voice. The line made Jack roll his eyes due to how cliché it was.

"You want to kill me that bad? I won't give you the satisfaction, schmuck." Jack smirked as he pressed a button on his right shoulder, disengaging the locks from his entire right arm. Sal and Jack fell into the stream, quickly getting dragged on the strong current of the river.

"Jack!" Lucy yelled as she tried to stop his fall. It was already too late as the river was already dragging him and the Sal along the strong stream. The redheaded girl ran towards the horse and released it from the wagon.

"What are you doing!?" Gus asked the desperate girl with a confused look on his face.

"Going after him, what else do you think I'm doing!? That stubborn idiot. Why does he always have to pull stunts like these!?" She was in an urgent state of panic as she was trying to get on the horse and ride it.

"I'll go with you." Neptune stepped forward and tried to ride a horse too.

"Hold on, Nep. What's your plan?" Sage asked Neptune, grabbing him by his jacket.

"I'll try to get dark and brooding out of the river. I can use my weapon as a pole and get him out of there."

"But are you sure you want to do that with your you-know-what?" Scarlet was concerned for his teammate. Seeing Neptune be so calm when talking about water was probably the strangest thing he saw all day.

"I'll be fine, as long I don't get too close to the river. Worst case scenario, I'll try to use my Semblance." He said while gulping down the last inkling of fear within himself and mustering enough courage to go through with it.

"Are you done talking? I have to go now!" Lucy started riding the horse at full speed. Neptune sat behind her and almost fell from the sudden change in speed. They went down the river, hoping to save the cowboy before he could get killed by the stranger in the water with him.


	18. Through the Dark Road IV

**Disclaimer: RWBY Characters, places and terminologies with the exception of the Original Characters, belongs to Rooster Teeth Productions.**

* * *

"Hiyaaaa!" Lucy yelled repeatedly as she rode the horse at full speed, trying to avoid obstacles like trees and rocks.

"Watch out!" Neptune tried his best not to fall off the horse. "Can't you be more careful with that thing."

"Well, why don't you ride it instead, huh!? Quit whining!" She yelled while still focusing on the river. The Huntsman in training was able to see the cowboy's body still getting dragged along the river. It was impossible for him to reach land or swim due to his missing right arm. To make matters worse, Sal was trying to reach Jack too by swimming against the current.

Sal saw what Lucy and Neptune were trying to do, and so he started shooting at them instead. Lucy managed to dodge the bullets, all the while trying to calm the horse. "Hey, shoot him back, would you?"

"I-I can't!"

"Why not!?"

"Do you want me to zap your boyfriend!? All I got are electric rounds!" After hearing Neptune's complaints, Lucy facepalmed at the point that there was no way for them to defend themselves from harm.

"Oh, this is just great. Of all the oafs I have to take the nerd that can't even fight back!"

"I'm not a nerd, dammit!" They briefly argued, but they tried their best to stop Sal from reaching Jack. He transformed his weapon and held it by the sharp end, leaving the opposite side free for the cowboy to grab onto, but Sal continued shooting at the horse, making even harder to reach him. It was impossible to get near Jack as long the stranger had enough reached to fight back.

Jack was trying to help by using his revolver to shoot at Sal, but it was difficult since his revolver was soaked. He tried to make it work despite not being in the condition to fire. He tried to change ammo, but the only type that could work were his slug rounds. The cowboy shot at the stranger, but he avoided by diving into the water.

Sal tried to return fire while still being underwater, but his accuracy was greatly affected since he couldn't see what was before him. The river was full of rocks. The further the two fighters were dragged, the wider the gap between them and the riders became, which made it harder for Neptune to reach Jack.

"You've got to be kidding me! I can't reach him!" The blue-haired guy was getting frustrated at how seemingly impossible it was to help the cowboy.

"Don't you have any other idea?" Lucy asked while trying to get the horse to top speed.

"I do, but I don't like it one bit…" Neptune's tone was filled with cowardice and discomfort.

"Well, what are you waiting for!?"

"I-I…Dammit! Fine! But don't tell anyone, alright!?" The guy was pretty annoyed, he put his weapon on his back clapped both of his hands together. He slowly extended them forward and formed a transparent barrier. Lucy was confused as to what his Semblance was. How could it be useful in this situation? Neptune created a huge bubble around them.

"Now, I will keep my arms extended for as long as possible while you get near Jack."

"Sure thing, Bubble Boy." Despite the rather mocking name Lucy gave him, she was most impressed of the plan. The girl diverted the horse into the river. The bubble helped them ride on the river. It was as if they were gliding on the surface of the rushing river.

"Get a little closer…" Neptune was using all his energy to keep the bubble stable.

Sal saw what they were doing and tried to shoot once again, but the bubble blocked all of his bullets. Lucy was almost singing with glee, but not Neptune's case was different. He was feeling quite uneasy, being on the one thing in the world he hates the most. He was desperately trying not to look down. Sal swam towards them instead of going after the cowboy. He tried to burst the bubble with his blades, but it had no effect. The girl moved the horse away from the stranger.

"Don't push your luck, this bubble through my aura like crazy. The hits don't help either." He said as he was starting to feel more exhausted. His arms were shaking and mouth was feeling dry. It became very hard for him to concentrate.

Jack tried to change the ammo in his revolver with one hand, but because reloading with one arm is difficult, he was only able to put in one crystalized red shell. The cowboy aimed carefully so he wouldn't hit any of his allies. When Neptune and Lucy were a safe distance between him and Sal, he started to shoot in rapid succession.

"Dragon's Breathe!" A huge blast of fire came out from his revolver. As it reached the stranger, he dived into the water again. He slowly began to see what awaited him underwater. He saw four slug projectiles torpedoing towards him. Sal tried to swim away from them, but the river's strong current barely allowed him to avoid them. Miraculously, he dodged all of them except for one, which hit him right in the leg. His aura was already depleted way back on the bridge, so that made him very vulnerable.

"Ugh! You…what the…" Before the assassin could even react even shoot back, he lost sight of where Jack was.

"Where is he!?" Lucy asked in desperation.

"I can't see him." Neither Lucy nor Neptune could pinpoint where he was. They tried to move from left to right but couldn't see if he was underwater or not. They couldn't see him anywhere. It made Sal feel anxious too since he couldn't see where he was either. Neptune started to notice some small black strains surface on the water.

"Dammit, where is he…?"

"Right behind you." Sal heard a deep soft voice behind his back. He soon turned around only to get punched in the face several times. The assassin tried to counter-attack, but Jack swiftly pulled his weapons off his wrists, leaving him unarmed and unable to fight back. The cowboy threw the weapons into the river as he hit Sal in the abdomen with his knees. Jack held onto the stranger by his mask and proceeded to kick him continuously.

Sal was trying to tear him away with all his strength, they struggled as they crashed into more rocks. At that moment Jack missed one chance to hit him again, which Sal he took advantage of and moved his position right behind the cowboy. He began to strangle him by putting his arms around Jack's neck. The cowboy tried to free himself but with one hand it was futile.

"Dieeeee…" The stranger said as he was losing breathe, he was trying to break Jack's neck but he wasn't ready for the sharp rock stabbed Sal into his back. The injury was nowhere close to his vertebral spine, it wasn't fatal, but it made him lose focus and accidentally release his grip on Jack. The cowboy kicked him away while pushing the rock even further in. Sal reacted quickly, boosting himself away from the rock but now too far to reach Jack.

Neptune and Lucy finally caught and were able to reach Jack. "Grab on!" Lucy was holding Neptune's weapon while he was still trying to maintain the bubble shield. She extended the other end of the weapon and Jack used his left hand to grab it. He passed the bubble, leaving all the water that covered his body outside. Sal was trying to get in too since Jack's lower body was still outside the bubble.

The cowboy let go of the weapon and grabbed Sal's mask. He kicked him once more. The mask's straps were getting loose which forced the stranger cover his face with one hand. So far, he only got scratches on his pale skin, but the rest of his head was covered in a skintight fabric, still covering his whole face.

Jack climbed to the bubble until his whole body was inside. Lucy transformed the weapon with the flip of a switch into a rifle and shot a few electric rounds at the stranger. Sal got electrocuted and got knocked out. The rest of the river was under the effects of the bubble which helped the group get safely back to land.

As they reached the edge, Jack looked at his attacker, who was now getting dragged down the river, unsure of how far he'll keep going. The stranger was someone to be feared. It was hard to imagine what kind of monster had to be hiding behind a mask for so long. He could have looked like a hideous battle-scarred freak, but he could have also just looked like an average guy. Jack wasn't sure which was more disturbing. Whatever the case was, he was finally gone and Jack and the gang could finally sigh in relief.

 **Sal: Indefinitely lost in the Stream.**

The group finally got back on safe ground. Neptune popped the bubble with sore sensations on his arms. Jack tried to catch his breath after spending too much time in the river and surviving almost being strangled to death. He grabbed his hat and shook it with vigor to dry it off. "Man… that was close." The cowboy commented as he took off his coat.

"Yeah, I haven't used my Semblance since my initiation day at Haven."

"Why not? It seems pretty useful to me." Jack was confused as to why the blue-haired guy didn't take full advantage of such an ability.

"Look who's talking, mine looks lame in comparison to yours."

"Having a cool-looking Semblance doesn't mean it's useful. With your bubble, you have so many more opportunities and ways to accomplish things that I do." Jack was trying to compliment him, but Neptune didn't really care for that, although he appreciated the validation. Everyone got out pretty dry thanks to the bubble's repelling effects, but Jack was still coughing up some water he had inside him. The cowboy noticed his girlfriend was awfully quiet after got on the ground. "What's the matter, Lucy?"

The girl had drops rolling down her face. Jack wondered if she got her hair wet while the bubble was inactive. She got off the horse and started walking towards the cowboy. With one fast movement, she slapped her boyfriend across the face with tears on her face. "What's the matter with you!? You wanna die?! What were you thinking?! Do you have any idea how I felt!? What do you think I'd do without you, you… moron!?" She was stumbling between her words, trying to keep her cool while her green eyes shed tears along with her angry and upset face.

Jack stood up and slowly hugged Lucy with his left arm, trying to comfort her. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry for scaring you like that. You know I couldn't risk you or anyone else getting caught up in my business. You…are really important to me. "

"I-I know… but… Saber would have been so sad." The girl tried to act like she had regained her composure, but snarky comments alone couldn't conceal her true feelings. Jack saw right through her facade.

"You know I can't change that part of me. No matter how many times I do this, this is who I am. For you, it's always worth it to go all in." As Neptune listened to their conversation, he noted that Jack's words reeked of guilt. He looked at the ground and peered at Sal's broken mask lying next to him.

"Sorry to interrupt you but look at this." Neptune grabbed the mask and showed it to the couple. Jack tried to grab it until the blue-haired guy moved away from him, not letting him even get near it. "I'll give it to you, but I and my team want to hear the rest of the story. You have some explaining to do"

"I don't need to explain anything.." Jack tried to grab the mask by force but stopped because Lucy was still holding onto his hand, hugging his arm with a firm hold on it. "What are you doing?"

"Please, we no longer have to hide it from them. You know they'll understand." Lucy tried to persuade Jack that they can trust Team SSSN with their problem. The cowboy was hesitant, but he listened to her suggestion. He sighed.

"Alright, I'll tell you just the important parts until we get back to the wagon. Understood?" The blue-haired guy nodded, Jack led the horse with Lucy on top of it and Neptune walked beside him. The walk was quite long. It took them about 30 minutes to get back to the wagon. Sage and Scarlet were standing on guard, watching for more Grimm. Gus was sitting on his wagon and Saber was sleeping next to him on the passenger's side. They've been waiting for quite some time.

"Welcome back, how was the water?" Sage said mockingly while crossing his arms.

"Humor never was your scene, Sage. For your information, I didn't even get wet." Neptune replied as he put his weapon with the rest of their belongings.

"So... that means you finally used your Semblance? I'm sure that wasn't bad after so long." Scarlet commented while using a wet stone to sharpen his cutlass. Lucy helped Gus strap the horse back to the wagon. Scarlet grabbed something that was next to the wheel. "Do you need a hand?" He was carrying Jack's right arm. It made the cowboy chuckle.

"Oh, you guys are funny. I'll ask the Mistral Theatre if they're looking for comedians. But seriously, put it back with the rest of luggage." Jack walked without taking the arm back. The Huntsmen were left confused.

"Uhhh…Don't you need it?" Neptune asked.

"That thing? It's out of juice after doing that light show from back there. Getting it attached is nothing but dead weight." He said nonchalantly as he hopped on the transport and sat next to the lovely husky. Jack sneezed as soon as the husky settled in.

The rest of the group packed everything up and the wagon resumed its journey back on the road. Everyone looking at the couple in silence. Their eyes were telling everything and asking questions without words. Lucy was using bandages to patch up Jack's left hand with special medicine. It felt irritating but helped his Aura heal faster. Scarlet wanted to ask first but was most afraid. Sage had a difficult time trying to choose his words carefully.

"So…let's start all over again. Who are you?" Neptune was the one asking the question.

"I told you, our names don't matter, at least now."

"Please…" The redhead girl looked in the cowboy's eyes, pretty much telling him to answer Neptune. Jack tried to say it in a nonserious way so that it'd be easier for them to digest.

"Fine, I'm a dead man anyway. As you heard from… him, my name is Jack Spades. I am the leader of Team JAQK. She is Lucy Carmine, the former member of team LUUX. We are former students of Atlas Academy. The long-short story, I'm a wanted man there, but I was wrongfully convicted of things like treason, murder, conspiracy, and sabotage. Think there's arson in there somewhere... point is, I don't give a shit about what you think, but I'm on my way to Mistral to lay low and gather some clues about the ones that set me up in Vale." After the heavy loaded explanation, everyone was on the same page.

"You know, we could help you with…" Before the blue-haired guy could say anything, he got interrupted by the cowboy who extended his left arm as a sign to stop.

"No…" He said bluntly. "The last time I let someone gets involved in my business..." He slowly pointed to where his right arm used to be. "This… is what happened. And that's not all. That person died and it was all my fault. I have been carrying that burden for two years. I couldn't even sleep properly. Look, if you want to live, I suggest you don't dig any deeper." Jack was dead serious when he warned Neptune, mostly for his sake.

"Then why are you telling us all this if it could get us in trouble?" Sage asked, not very happy with what the cowboy just said.

"If I told you now before you do get involved, then you might have a chance of getting off the hook before it's too late." The mood got heavy as he got on the defensive.

"We can help you. We're Huntsmen after all…"

"HUNTSMEN AREN'T HEROES! YOU'RE JOB ISN'T TO SOLVE PEOPLE'S PROBLEMS!" There was quiet, the cowboy's voice was loud enough to scare away the birds outside. A strong echo resonated through the wagon. Everyone looked at Jack with their eyes wide open as a feeling of dread blasted through their spines. Gus wasn't really expressing any of that but his face had a very disappointed look.

"Jack…your eye," Lucy said in a concerned tone to her boyfriend, trying to hold his hand. The cowboy started to notice his right eye was twitching. He touched it with his left hand and slowly curled his fingers. He has felt a deep sense of shame. He lowered his head and covered his face with his own hat.

"Look, maybe we can't solve your situation, but we can keep your secret while if you stay in Mistral."

"How can I be sure you won't sing like a canary if a knife as much as brushes your neck, Bubble Boy?" Jack replied with a fierce look in his eyes, Neptune didn't even flinch or get intimidated.

"Don't call me that, I may be a bit of coward, but not I'm not someone who would betray anyone's word." Much to the surprise of the rest of team SSSN, they never saw Neptune behave like this, taking a firm position on the situation and radiating with confidence. Jack only replied with a weak smile.

"Do you think you have the balls to be on my level, Bubble Boy?"

"I'm 100% sure of it, cowpoke." Their heads were on the same level, neither of them blinked for a while. Sage wasn't sure if it was a good idea to stop them, but Lucy told them that it would be better not to get in their way. Jack drew his revolver and shot in the road's direction, right behind the wagon. Everyone focused their sight on the road. Suddenly they saw something fall off the tree. Saber started growling as she felt the presence of the Grimm. Not much to their surprise, the thing that fell from the tree was a pretty large pack of raging Beowolves.

"I'll ask you again, do you have the balls to be on my level? Then think of a way to escape from those things!" The cowboy didn't turn to see the road like the rest of them. He decided to show off and shoot the Grimm without even looking. The rest of the passengers were left impressed. "You know how it works, those mutts are attracted to negative emotions. I want to hear how you plan on escaping them in one piece. Come on, show me."

More Grimm appeared on the road, with Ursai and Boarbatusks behind them, doing the spinning attacks they're renowned and feared for. Sage told Gus to increase the speed of the horses while Lucy and Scarlet shot at the deadly creatures. Jack didn't do anything. He just kept sitting like as if nothing happened. His level of composure was on par with veteran Huntsmen.

Neptune shot some Grimm in the distance but the Beowolves were using the Ursai like steeds. The Beowolves used the Ursai as stepping points to jump onto the wagons. Sage slew the ones in the air while Scarlet stabbed one, leaving it hanging from the edge of the wagon. The redhead guy shot it in the head and watched it roll on the ground and turn into mist. Gus pulled out his old shotgun and shot one of the Ursa in the eye, blinding it and giving Lucy a chance to use her Semblance and strike it in the back, paralyzing it. The Ursa tripped as it's leg shortly stopped working, making the Grimm behind it stumble and crash like a bicycle race gone wrong.

Pretty soon they reached a fork in the road. A sign in the middle read 'MISTRAL' and 'KUCHINASHI' from left to right. Neptune was looking ahead of the road, trying to squint at the signs from a long distance. It didn't take him more than 2 seconds to choose. "To the right!" He ordered to Gus.

"Are you crazy!? Mistral's in the opposite direction!" Sage was upset at his teammate's choice.

"Trust me, I have a plan."

"Are you sure? We could be safer if we went the other way." Scarlet asked while fencing some Grimm off the transport.

"No, if we go down the Mistral road, we might endanger people along the way!" Gus explained, clarifying that Neptune's choice was the right one to take. They kept advancing along the uneven roads that went in zigzags and over rocky terrain. All the passengers were trying to keep the wagon balanced enough so that they wouldn't lose speed, although the horses were starting to get tired.

"Okay, what's next?" Sage asked Neptune as he was shooting smaller Grimm with his rifle.

"If memory serves, we should be going through a tunnel."

Neptune explained as he tried to show the map to Gus.

"I hope you know what you're doing, kid." The coach remarked as he followed the road. They were finally able to take a short break. Most of the Grimm was pretty far away from them now. Everyone took their seats and started to discuss Neptune's plan.

"Ok, this is what we're gonna do. The incoming tunnel ain't long, but since it goes through a hill, it should be impossible for the Grimm to climb. The tunnel has a lot of interconnected wooden timbering, so…"

"Wait a sec, Nep. Are you suggesting…?" Scarlet just realized where this was going.

"Yep. We're going to set the tunnel on fire."

"This plan blows, but I like that attitude. Count me in!" Sage's voice gave the temporary leader confidence.

"I want to see how this goes." Scarlet didn't complain about the plan either. The cowboy kept listening in on the details. He was intrigued to see it come to fruition.

"Ok, since the tunnel isn't long enough, Jack and Lucy are going to soak it with oil from the inside. Hopefully, the fire will burn most of them and that should give us enough time to blow the exit of the tunnel up. But we must leave the wagon to keep the Grimm busy while the rest wait for us in the other side. We must act quickly if we don't want to be roasted with them."

"I hope I don't get oil in my boots," Scarlet said with a worried tone.

"You and your boots." Sage snidely remarked as he was getting his sword ready.

"Just don't expect me to save your butt if this plan goes sideways, Bubble Boy," Jack warned Neptune, sitting as if nothing happened.

"Don't worry about us. We can handle this ourselves. We're Huntsmen in training after all." Jack rolled his eyes at Neptune's statement. At the moment they were entering the tunnel entrance. Team SSSN left the wagon and the rest went inside. Neptune and Scarlet were recharging their weapons. The wagon went inside the tunnel without the three SSSN members, spilling oil on the walls as they went along.

"Alright, time to rock 'n roll dudes!" The team was getting ready as the horde of Grimm was approaching.

"Couldn't think of anything cheesier, Neptune?" Sage commented as he and Scarlet snickered. Neptune didn't really mind. He felt like a new man and he was prepared for some action. With two Boarbatusks already charging at them, Sage went on the defensive while Neptune and Scarlet pointed their guns at the enemy from behind him. Once the Grimm went flying at them, Sage blocked both of them let his teammates shoot them, which made them bounce back to the rest.

Sage threw his sword at an Ursa, impaling its shoulder. The tattooed Huntsman grabbed Neptune by the arm and soon both of them teleported to the Ursa. Neptune cut its head off as they lunged themselves to fight the rest of the inky black creatures. A Beowolf tried to swing its claws at Sage, but its arm got entangled by a rope attached to a hook. Scarlet used his weapon to pull himself towards the monster, slashing it into pieces. Sage and Scarlet high-fived each in their small victory.

Neptune swung his guan dao at the packs of Beowolves. From left to right, they were being sliced in half like butter. While everyone was busy fighting, the small Beowolf hiding in the trees jumped off and caught Neptune off guard. The blue-haired guy was on the ground but still managed to use his weapon to keep his distance and not get his face bitten off. "Guys! A little help here!?" He yelled for aid, but the situation was getting a little frantic.

"In a moment, just let me get those things off me first!" Sage said as he was being surrounded by more and more Beowolves and Boarbatusks. He was pretty busy, and they were pretty hard to get through.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHG…!" Scarlet, on the other hand, was being dragged along the ground by his weapon that was hooked to an Ursa. It was running around, and he couldn't do anything to stop it. Things weren't going so great for Neptune. He couldn't get help from his team. It appeared they all had their hands full.

As the Beowolf over Neptune was biting on his weapon, Neptune was getting overwhelmed. He was unable to get the creature off of him. As the monster nearly chewed his face off, a slug projectile came out of the cave, destroying the Grimm's jaw. The Beowolf turned to see who did it, only to receive a clean tomahawk chop to the neck. The head fell clean off and started vanishing into the mist. "Trouble? Not going as you planned it, huh?" A deep voice said as Neptune was getting back on his feet.

"What? I thought you weren't gonna help us." Neptune said to Jack, who was now standing beside him with his tomahawk in his left hand.

"I still owed you one for getting me out of the water." The cowboy threw his hat away, letting it land on the floor next to the cave's entrance. "Besides, what's a team without a fourth member?" Jack smirked as he transformed his weapon back to a revolver.

"You sure you can fight one-handed?" Neptune asked while transforming his weapon into a trident.

"Are you sure you can fight two-handed? Besides, maybe that'll make things more interesting." Jack's confidence made Neptune a little concerned. He didn't really seem to care about the danger.

"Lucy must be freaking out right about now, right?"

"She's probably losing her mind right about now. All I have to do is just not die." He said nonchalantly. A Boarbatusk was rolling at the cowboy. He didn't move from his place. "I don't have time for you, piggy!" He was slowly getting into position as the Grimm got closer. In a split second, Jack kicked it like a soccer ball. Its trajectory knocked it into the Ursa running towards them. It tripped and gave Scarlet the opening to slay it while it was still down.

"Thanks for the help." The redhead guy thanked the cowboy. He replied with a nod. The rest continued fighting and helped Sage with the Grimm surrounding him. Jack changed his ammo type and started shooting alongside Neptune and Scarlet. Together they took out the Grimm pretty quickly.

"That was close," Sage commented as he finally got some room to breathe.

"I don't think we're done," Jack said as another wave of Grimm was going after them. Everyone reloaded their guns and got ready for one more round. Four weakened and tired out Huntsmen against 3 Ursai, 7 Beowolves, and 4 Boarbatusks. The odds weren't stacked in their favor.

The first Beowolf tried to slash the cowboy. He ran towards it the and slid underneath it, shooting it in the chest. It flew into small pieces like a huge hole through it. Jack saw one behind him, so he used his Semblance to position himself behind it's back and used his gun's grip to bash it in the head.

Scarlet followed up with multiple slashes to the head and finished it with a point-blank shot. Another Boarbatusk charged at him, but he dodged the attack and ensnared it with his hook and rope. He used the creature's strength and speed to spin it in circles, hitting more Beowolves in the process. After two good spins, he released the Grimm and launched it at an Ursa.

Sage threw his sword and impaled an Ursa and a Boarbatusk in the stomach. He got himself close and cut the Boarbatusk in half. The Ursa suffered a major injury. It started fighting back with biting and started swinging its claws around. Sage parried it and patiently waited for the perfect counter. As the Ursa tried to do an overhead attack, it left itself wide open. The tattooed guy reacted by cutting its arm and kicking it in the face.

Lastly, Neptune stabbed the Ursa in the stomach with his trident and unleashed an electric charge on its whole body. While impaling it, the blue-haired guy used the Grimm's body as mace and swung it against the rest of the wave. The creatures got electrocuted on contact, stunning them and leaving them defenseless.

With all the cards on the table, everyone went all in on the final strike, attacking all the Grimm at the same time. The Huntsmen were shooting and slashing their way through the hordes. Heads were rolling, and limbs went flying at unimaginable speed.

They were like lighting, straying from the thunder, they truly looked like miracles of ancient wonder, like those praised in songs and old fairy tales.

After a few moments, they stopped fighting. Everyone, including the Grimm, didn't move. They behaved like statues, still and passive. Everything became silent except for the screech of an eagle flying over them. In mere seconds, the Grimm were falling to their knees like dominos and quickly disappeared into a huge cloud of black mist that looked like smoke from a fire.

They were done fighting the important wave. While there were more incoming it gave them enough time to prepare and go back to the wagon. From the other side of the tunnel, they heard an unstoppable barrage of loud barks from the loyal husky. "Hey, hey, hey, that's our cue!" The cowboy said as they ran inside the tunnel soaked in oil.

The ground was slippery which made it hard for them to run properly. Everything went just as planned. Neptune created a bubble for the whole team. It let the gang run along the liquid without tripping or slipping, rolling the bubble like a moderately sized hamster ball. They ran as fast as the bubble allowed in the small space. The light at the end was getting bigger. They were able to see the exit get bigger with each step forward.

"We're out boys!" Jack yelled as the group jumped out of the tunnel with Grimm following them. They tried to run, jump and even charge but it became impossible due to the slippery oil that covered everything. They were trapped inside the tunnel. "They're not going anywhere, who's gonna burn those suckers?" Jack asked.

Team SSSN were looking at each other. They agreed with a simple nod. "Do you want to do the honors?" Neptune asked, which made the cowboy smile devilishly. He started looking at Lucy and she brought him his prosthetic arm and jammed it in its place. She carefully connected the nerves between the shoulder and the arm. A small noise from his arm noted that it was on.

"It'll be my pleasure," Jack said as Lucy finished fixing the arm in place. He walked up to the tunnel leaving a trail of oil on the ground. He used the lighter in his thumb and used it to ignite the fire, making it spread through the whole tunnel. The Grimm was being burned alive y and started accidentally killing each other in the fire due to the confusion. They screamed in pain and slowly fell one by one until everything looked like the inside of a smelting furnace. The Grimm behind them retreated before they could burn alive.

At last, they were free from danger.

"WOOOOHOOOOO! Take that!" Neptune shouted in satisfaction. He and his team started to do a ridiculous victory dance. Gus and Lucy looked at each other with unamused looks while Jack started howling in laughter at how ridiculous it was. It gave the cowboy this nostalgic feeling he hadn't felt in quite some time.

"What are you laughing at?" Lucy asked.

"Nothing, it's just… they're just like Ace after winning a fight." Jack said. It caught Neptune's attention.

"You know, you've been mentioning this Ace guy. Who is he? Your teammate?" Neptune asked the cowboy. The cowboy drew one very warm smile.

"He's my brother… one hell of a guy if I must say."

"I hope to meet him and the rest of your team when we get to Mistral."

"Good. Maybe he could give you some tips on how to actually hit on girls" Lucy hit her boyfriend with her elbow on his back.

"Ow."

Everyone including Gus gave out a hearty laugh.

"Nah, I think I'm just gonna stick to my material." Neptune politely refused the cowboy's offer.

"Too bad, I was hoping you would learn and try again. Your best attempt wasn't really great so far, Bubble Boy." Lucy said in a sarcastic tone. It made Neptune switch his mood instantly.

"Stop calling me that, dammit!" It seemed no one could stop laughing. It was a nice moment they all shared for a while.

"Alright everyone, we've had enough fun for one day. We should hit the road and find a way to get back to Mistral. Luckily for us, we're not too far from the city, but we'll need to take the long route." Gus told the teenagers as they hopped back to the wagon. They took their seat and started stretching arms and legs. It was a busy day, but it was an exciting way to conclude the last day of spring.

* * *

After taking the detour to the capital, they slowly approached an inn in the woods. It was 7:22 pm, so everyone was using their lanterns and flashlights. Jack, Lucy, and Saber took their belongings and left the wagon. "Aren't you coming with us? We're still an hour away from Mistral." Sage asked the couple.

"It's alright, we're gonna wait for my team here. This is where we go our separate ways."

"Are you sure? I can leave you off at the city if you want." Gus' words made everyone a little confused.

"What? I thought you were afraid of getting anywhere near the gate." Lucy commented the old man's odd choice.

"I was, but after seeing you youngsters trying to fight for your lives and live every second of your life, it made me realize something. I don't know how much time I have left in this world, but I think I'd rather spend my last moments with my granddaughter, back at home." Gus' resolution made everyone aww for a brief moment. It made them happy that he'd no longer have to risk his life outside the city.

"That's nice to hear, old man. Good luck with your granddaughter." Jack replied with sincerity as he tipped his hat.

"Thank you. And since you are going to stay at Mistral, there's a chance we're probably gonna see each other again."

"How can you be so sure?" Jack asked.

"Well, you can say I know Mistral like the back of my own hand." The couple was curious about what was referring to, but nonetheless, Gus and Team SSSN parted ways with Jack and Lucy. They saw the couple and their dog walk towards the inn.

Neptune remembered something and called Jack out for a moment. The cowboy turned to Neptune and the blue-haired guy threw something in the air. Jack caught it. It was Sal's mask, just as promised. They thanked each other without saying a word and they got back to their own business.

"Dude, I can't wait to tell Sun about this!" Scarlet commented as he accidentally dropped his Scroll on his seat. As he was looking at the floor, he noticed shiny stains on the top of his boots. "Aww man, I did get oil on my boots." He said with disappointment in his eyes.

"It was unavoidable. We risk our lives every day for the people of this land, but sometimes we lose something even more valuable." Neptune's Scroll started to ring. "Who's calling me? Wait, is he…?" He looked at the photo of the caller. It was a pretty delightful surprise.

"Is that Sun!? I thought he was in Menagerie." Sage replied. It was easy to assume he was in Mistral due to the current CCT problems. Neptune pressed the button and answered the call.

"Yo! Where are you guys!?"

"Hey Sun, when did you get back to Mistral?" Neptune asked his Leader.

"I arrived just yesterday, it's a long story. Where are you? I couldn't find you anywhere around Haven!"

"We went off for a useless mission. There was trouble on our way back, but we're almost there. We have a long story too that you're gonna love. Wait for us at the main gate in about an hour."

"Alright! See ya' all there!" Sun finished the conversation the call. Hearing Sun talk made the team realize that Mistral was probably fine. Finally some good news. It gave everyone in the wagon some relief. In the end, it felt like things were going to go their way once they get to the city.

* * *

Once inside the Inn, the couple walked towards the bartender that was serving some drinks while the waitress picked took them upstairs. He noticed the couple had a dog that was following them. "Hey! No dogs allowed!" He warned them. Jack looked at him with a mean look in his eyes. Those baby blue eyes of his became golden in an instant. It freaked the bartender out. "Oh…umm, you know, y-you can keep her inside as long she doesn't bother any customers."

"Thank you, and I would like to request a room for one night," Jack spoke with a softer voice, just to not make things any more uncomfortable for the bartender.

"You will have to wait for the waitress, she has the keys." After the man said that, he was trying to look around to see where she was. "Damn, why is she taking so long?" He was getting impatient. Lucy was hearing noises coming from upstairs. Some people were having way too much fun. She saw the waitress walking downstairs. "Where have you been? What took you so long?!"

"I'm sorry but one of those guys told me one of his stories. They sounded pretty over-exaggerated if I have to be honest. There was another one that looked like trouble. A guy with a scar on across his jaw and a guy with glasses asked for peanuts. Those guys are a weird and lively bunch." Despite the bartender's confused look on his face, the couple was shocked after hearing what the waitress said.

"Excuse me, but just out of curiosity, did that guy with the stories try to flirt with you?" Lucy asked the waitress, she started blushing as Lucy mentioned him.

"W-well, he is quite charming, though I'm afraid he's too young for me. I wouldn't mind hearing more of his stories though~" She was behaving very unprofessionally but it gave the couple an idea about the people upstairs.

"Anyways, you said you wanted a room, right?"

"Actually, just bring us two drinks to the same room upstairs," Jack said while he gleefully rushed upstairs. Lucy and Saber followed him, leaving the bartender with a few unanswered questions.

"Hold on a sec, young man. Do you know those guys!?" The man asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you…but they're family after all." He said as if it was nothing. They slowly approached the second floor. Saber got ahead of them and stopped in front of a door. She sat and awaited her owners to get to her. She sensed familiar smells inside the room. The couple started hearing voices on the other side.

"I'm telling you! We flew like birds, dude!" A jovial voice kept yelling.

"That's not how you use metal plates, dumbass!" Another voice with a gruffer tone berated the jovial storyteller.

"But what else could they be used for? We think they work better as snowboards rather than shields."

"Why didn't you stop him from doing that, Four-Eyes!?"

"I couldn't do much. He tried to find a better solution for our predicament." A third voice chimed in. He sounded much calmer and reasonable than the rest.

"Don't be so modest, partner. You had as much fun as we did."

"T-that's not quite true…"

"AHA! So, you were part of the problem too! Do you know how much trouble I went through just to get you those things for protection? And you used them as your playthings. What's the matter with that!?"

"To my partner's defense, he did use it to save himself and Velvet from being shot with an energy weapon."

"OHHHH! THAT EXPLAINS THE FRICKING HOLE IN IT! YOU SON OF A….!" Before the aggressive guy could say anything else, the three guys went silent as they turned their eyes at the door that was slowly opening. The familiar faces that entered brought both surprise and joy to the people inside. Jack, Lucy, and Saber entered the room.

"Bro! Lucy! Nice to see you again!" The jovial voice belonged to a guy with dark skin and a green bandana on his head. He greeted them with open arms. "You too, Saber." He started petting the husky on the head as she wandered under the table and rubbed her face along his leg.

"What took you so long!? Finally some sane people around here. Any more and I would have started strangling these bozos next to me!" A well-built guy with a scar on the left side of his jaw said as he downed one huge glass of liquor. Despite his abrasive nature, he was thankful for the couple's presence.

"Glad you made it. Hope you didn't have any issues on your way here." The last guy with blue glasses and camo fatigue clothes greeted them with a simple hand wave. Cool, calm and collected as usual.

"There were a few roadblocks along the way. How about we tell you now? I'd also like to hear about everything you had as well." Jack and Lucy took a seat next to the jovial guy, filling the table fully with everyone around it. The cowboy put his hat on the table and waited for the waitress to bring them their drinks. After months of being separated ever since the Fall of Beacon, they finally got a heartwarming reunion.

"Team JAQK is back, baby!" Blurted Ace in excitement.

End of Act 1.

To be continued, in Sunsets of Summer...


	19. Transition

**Hello everyone. As you were wondering why there are no updates on this story, it is because I continued it as a different story. It might be important for everyone to be notified in case you missed it.**

 **It is under the title of** ** _JAQK Act 2: Always Sunny in Paradise._**

 **I want to thank the followers to go along this since this isn't my most popular story, but it is nice at least that people can enjoy it.**

 **See all of you there.**


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